Author: Yeghisabet Vorskanian

ANCA-Western Region to Honor Luis Moreno Ocampo with ‘Champion of International Justice’ Award

Yeghisabet Vorskanian
by Contributor

 

 October 6, 2023

 

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

BY KATY SIMONIAN

The Armenian National Community of America–Western Region will honor human rights activist and the former Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court Luis Moreno Ocampo with the prestigious “Champion of International Justice” award for his unequivocal support of preventing genocide in Artsakh and his lifetime of pursuing justice for crimes against humanity around the world.

The Armenian community will have the opportunity to salute Ocampo’s trailblazing work at the ANCA-Western Region’s annual Awards Banquet which will take place on Sunday, November 12 at The Beverly Hilton.

Following nearly ten months of Azerbaijan’s illegal blockade of Artsakh and its military onslaught which resulted in the forced depopulation of Artsakh, the ANCA-WR Board seriously considered canceling this year’s Awards Gala.

However, remembering the inspiring words of Artsakh Foreign Minister and last year’s Freedom Award honoree David Babayan, who is currently unlawfully imprisoned in Baku, the ANCA-WR Board decided that it must not show weakness in the face of Azeri aggression and that it must forge ahead in a show of unity and resilience against the injustices inflicted on our people, pledging to donate a portion of the proceeds toward humanitarian assistance for Artsakh genocide survivors.

A few short weeks ago, while speaking at a Congressional Hearing for the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission, Ocampo articulated a clear, declarative rejection of any refusal to call Azerbaijan’s actions against Artsakh a case of genocide in the name of preserving negotiations.

“The negotiation is between a genocider and his victims. You cannot ask for a negotiation between Hitler and the people of Auschwitz. It’s not a negotiation. You have to stop Auschwitz and then discuss negotiation. And that, I think, is the secret here,” he said at the hearing.

Ocampo’s words and presence at the Congressional Hearing offered an unprecedented display of support from one of the world’s most influential figures in international criminal justice. The context he provides with his detailed report on the current conditions in Artsakh, including the blockade that has pushed 120,000 Armenians to the brink of starvation, demonstrates that the Azeri government is clearly and incontrovertibly attempting to commit genocide against Christian Armenians in Artsakh.

“You cannot be involved in negotiations when President Aliyev uses genocide as a method of negotiation,” said Ocampo, as he continues to urge the Biden Administration to take a declarative stance to end Azerbaijan’s genocidal blockade of Artsakh.

“Having the support of Luis Moreno Ocampo during one of the darkest moments in our history offers all Armenians a sense of hope, knowing that a human rights defender of his caliber is committed to protecting the people of Artsakh and securing the safety of the Armenian homeland. History will remember him as a man of honor who spoke the truth, sounding the alarm to prevent crimes against humanity in the name of justice,” said ANCA-WR Chair Nora Hovsepian, Esq.

“We salute Mr. Ocampo and continue to urge lawmakers across the United States and around the world to heed his word and take action in preventing further crimes against humanity in Artsakh,” added Hovsepian.

Ocampo’s words carry a great deal of weight across the international community.

A living legend who served as the First Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court from 2003-2012, Ocampo has been at the forefront of pursuing justice in the name of peace and democracy for over fifty years. Born in Argentina, Ocampo trained at the University of Bueno Aires before starting his career as a Prosecutor.

In 1985, he made history while serving as Assistant Prosecutor in the Trial of the Juntas, which prosecuted the heads of the military Juntas that governed Argentina during the country’s last military dictatorship in 1975. The prosecution proved criminal responsibility against former Presidents Jorge Rafael Videla and Roberto Viola, Admirals Emilio Massera and Armando Lambruschini, and Brigadier Orlando Agosti, who were all convicted on December 9, 1985. This was the first case since the Nuremberg Trials where miliary commanders faced accountability for mass killings of the country’s citizens. Argentina 1985, a film chronicling the harrowing efforts of Ocampo and his fellow prosecutors, was released in 2022 and is available on Amazon Prime after becoming Argentina’s official film submission for the Academy Awards.

Following the landmark prosecution, Ocampo continued his commitment to seeking justice against the Juntas who sought to flee prosecution and successfully facilitated the extradition of many, including General Guillermo Suárez Mason from California in 1988.

During the 1990s, he joined the private sector, whilst maintaining his commitment to human rights by taking on cases of corruption across the public and private sectors. His experience made him a prominent voice across the international community and he used his platform by hosting a television series, Fórum, la corte del Pueblo, which gave audiences a window into the process of mediation.

After years of serving as a jurist across the field of human rights, Ocampo made history in 2003 when he was unanimously elected as the first prosecutor of the newly founded International Criminal Court. During his nine-year tenure as prosecutor, he opened investigations in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda, the Central African Republic, Kenya, as well as Darfur and Libya, at the request of the UN Security Council, and in Côte d’Ivoire at the request of national authorities.

His unique insight and background equipped him with formidable antennae to pursue cases of crimes against humanity and leaders with a complete absence of empathy and regard for the law, chief among them being Omar al-Bashir who Ocampo accused of crimes against humanity in Darfur. His office prosecuted Bashir, after investigations proved he had caused the deaths of over 300,000 people including a UN peace keeping force.

Under his leadership, the first trial of the ICC resulted in the conviction of Thomas Lubanga, who was convicted of war crimes and the use of child soldiers in the Congo. As fate would have it, the legendary Ben Ferencz, who served as prosecutor at the Nuremberg Trials, closed the prosecution at age 93 – a fitting connection for Ocampo, who embraced the legacy of Nuremberg in seeking justice for his country of Argentina.

Ocampo went on to prosecute cases in Sudan and Kenya, with his trademark steadfast dedication to holding those in power accountable for their actions and maintaining a strong stance against corruption that would cause harm to developing democracy. As the first prosecutor, he set crucial precedents for what is possible when achieving international criminal justice, proving that victims of crimes against humanity can and must be heard in order to heal and to prevent future crimes.

After his tenure at the ICC was completed, he carried on with his groundbreaking work, applying pressure to the UN Security Council in many high-profile cases, as he joined the campaign group Yazda, which sought to persuade heads of state to recognize the crime of genocide in support of the Yazidi community of Iraq. He is a senior fellow at the Jackson Institute for Global Affairs at Yale University and a senior fellow at the Carr Center for Human Rights Policy at Harvard University.

As a man of immense humility and grit, he has never chosen to shy away from challenging cases or be discouraged by the often-deafening silence of the international community on matters of genocide prevention. His presence, speaking truth to power on behalf of the Armenian community has been quite impactful. “This is an ongoing genocide. This is happening now,” he told the Congressional hearing. “Genocide under Article IIC requires just creating the conditions to destroy a people … blocking the Lachin Corridor with its life systems for the Nagorno-Karabakh people is exactly creating those conditions.” His words offer a stern warming to the United States against any complicity in what is clearly an act of genocide by all legal and moral standards.

After the most recent horrors that took place in Artsakh which saw Azerbaijan’s forces attack innocent civilians, forcing over 100,000 Armenians to flee their ancestral lands, Ocampo voiced his position once again in a scathing article in The Washington Post, condemning international complacency in failing to prevent a second Armenian Genocide. His article calls for international intervention and the need for acknowledge the crime of genocide, writing “The world must call the crime by its proper name. Resistance to using the term “genocide” has been a long-standing problem in international affairs. In April 1994, most U.N. Security Council members refused to label the mass killings in Rwanda as genocide. Little has changed in thirty years.” Ocampo’s command of the geopolitical nuances at the backdrop of international complacency is matched only by the clarity with which he condemns all who are willfully complicit in allowing what he calls “the Armenian genocide of 2023” to occur.

One of the greatest enemies of progress is the cold, glazed wall of indifference. Such walls cannot be broken with force, but rather with the blazing light of truth, melting barriers of injustice and fear. Luis Moreno Ocampo has dedicated his life to being a light for those without a voice in order to create spaces in which people may be heard and justice can be accomplished. The light he continues to shine on the people of Artsakh serves as a warning for all nations and a call to action to prevent genocide from ever again occurring in the name of global accountability and peace.

For more information about Luis Moreno Ocampo’s extraordinary work for global human rights, genocide prevention and justice, and to purchase tickets for the 2023 ANCA-Western Region Awards Banquet, please click here. A portion of the proceeds from this year’s gala will be donated to support Artsakh Genocide survivors.

The Armenian National Committee of America – Western Region is the largest and most influential nonpartisan Armenian American grassroots advocacy organization in the Western United States. Working in coordination with a network of offices, chapters, and supporters throughout the Western United States and affiliated organizations around the country, the ANCA-WR advances the concerns of the Armenian American community on a broad range of issues in pursuit of the Armenian Cause.

Rain doesn’t stop the R.I. community from marching for Artsakh

Yeghisabet Vorskanian
October 4, 2023 Guest Contributor Community News, Diaspora 0

(Photo: GVK Images)

PROVIDENCE, R.I.—On Friday, September 29, 100 Armenians marched in the pouring cold rain to raise awareness of the ethnic cleansing happening in Artsakh. Beginning at the Armenian Historical Association of Rhode Island (AHARI), the group walked through the Brown University neighborhood and ended at the Avon Cinema, just in time for the viewing of the film Amerikatsi. 

Organized by the Providence “Kristapor” Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF) and sister organizations, the Homenetmen scouts led the way as honor guard. Local news coverage was provided by Kim Kalunian of WPRI channel 12.

“We are here today to let everyone know that 120,000 indigenous Armenians are being ethnically cleansed by Azerbaijan,” said chairman of the Providence ARF Hrag Arakelian.

While a sunny day would likely have attracted a larger crowd, those who attended were encouraged to see the community express support for Artsakh in spite of the cold rainy weather. Many parents brought their children, and some even brought their babies in strollers. Those who marched felt that getting wet in the rain was nothing compared to what the Armenians of Artsakh have endured, from a nearly 10-month blockade to being forced from their homes.

Now, there is a massive refugee crisis in Armenia where 100,000 Armenians of Artsakh have fled without a home or long-term plan. Armenia needs the diaspora to help in three ways:

  1. Advocate our elected officials to speak up about the atrocities, such as Senator Jack Reed did a few days ago in Washington.
  1. Donate to the Armenian Relief Society, a reputable organization that has been providing humanitarian assistance to the Armenian people for more than 100 years.
  1. Increase awareness by telling your friends, family members, and colleagues about what is happening to Armenians.

RFE/RL Armenian Service – 10/04/2023

Yeghisabet Vorskanian 
                                        Wednesday, September 4, 2023


Aliyev Cancels Planned Talks With Pashinian (UPDATED)


Moldova - The leaders of Armenia, Azerbaijan, France, Germany and the European 
Union meet in Chisinau, June 1, 2023.


Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has cancelled a fresh meeting with Armenian 
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian which was due to take place on Thursday on the 
sidelines of a European Union summit in the Spanish city of Granada.

Aliyev and Pashinian were expected to be joined there by European Council 
President Charles Michel, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor 
Olaf Scholz. The five leaders already met in this format in Moldova on June 1.

The Azerbaijani APA news agency reported on Wednesday that Aliyev accused the 
European leaders of pro-Armenian bias and demanded that Turkish President Recep 
Tayyip Erdogan also join the talks. France, Germany and other parties rejected 
the demand, it said, citing official Baku. Diplomatic sources confirmed to 
RFE/RL that Aliyev and Erdogan will not fly to Granada.

The last-minute cancellation follows upbeat statements made by Armenian and 
Azerbaijani officials on prospects for an Armenian-Azerbaijani peace treaty in 
the wake of Baku’s September 19-20 military offensive in Nagorno-Karabakh. 
Armenian parliament speaker Alen Simonian said on September 24 that the two 
sides are now “very close” to signing the deal.

Pashinian confirmed that and expressed regret at Aliyev’s decision when he spoke 
in the Armenian parliament later in the day.

“We were very constructive and optimistic because we thought there is a chance 
to sign a landmark document,” he said. “Basically, up until this morning we 
assessed that probability as being very high.”

“Of course, we regret that the meeting will not take place, but we hope that the 
framework document, which is on the table, will be signed at an opportune time. 
I am ready to sign that agreement,” added Pashinian.

The secretary of Armenia’s Security Council, Armen Grigorian, and Aliyev’s top 
foreign policy aide, Hikmet Hajiyev, as well as diplomatic advisers to Michel, 
Macron and Scholz met in Brussels on September 26 to prepare for the Granada 
summit. Haiyev said afterwards that the “quite constructive” meeting increased 
chances of the peace accord.

Pashinian on Wednesday also denounced Armenia’s “puppet opposition” for trying 
to scuttle the deal. Opposition leaders have speculated that he is ready to make 
more concessions to Azerbaijan now that Baku is regaining full control over 
Karabakh.




Yerevan Eyes ‘Defensive’ Weapons From France

        • Astghik Bedevian

Armenia - Parliament deputy Armen Khachatrian, November 14, 2022.


A senior Armenian lawmaker suggested on Wednesday that Armenia will seek to 
acquire air-defense systems and other “defensive” weapons from France after 
Paris gave the green light for first-ever defense contracts between the two 
states.

Visiting Yerevan on Tuesday, French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna said her 
government has approved “future contracts with Armenia which will allow the 
delivery of military equipment to Armenia.” She cited threats to the country’s 
territorial integrity emanating from Azerbaijan which “has continuously armed 
itself to take action.” Colonna did not specify the types of French weapons that 
could be supplied to Armenia.

“We may be talking about defensive weapons, training of military officers in 
French academies,” said Armen Khachatrian, the deputy chairman of the Armenian 
parliament committee on defense.

“Air defense is one of our main problems now, especially after the 2020 war [in 
Nagorno-Karabakh] and the events of September 2022,” he told RFE/RL’s Armenian 
Service.

Khachatrian cautioned that it would take a while before the Armenian military 
receives such weapons.

“Arms acquisitions are a quite complicated process all over the world,” he 
explained. “A number of processes must happen before they materialize, perhaps 
within one year.”

Tigran Abrahamian, an Armenian opposition lawmaker, said that while we would 
only welcome French arms supplies to Armenia he is highly skeptical about the 
current government’s ability to boost the country’s defense potential.

“An army is not just weapons and military personnel,” said Abrahamian. “It also 
requires good management, correct tactical and strategic objectives and their 
achievement, something which I find impossible under the current authorities.”

Colonna signaled the arms supplies amid Armenia’s mounting tensions with Russia, 
its longtime ally and until recently principal supplier of military hardware and 
ammunition. Khachatrian said Moscow cannot frown upon the deepening 
French-Armenian military cooperation because it has stopped providing weapons to 
its South Caucasus ally.

In an apparent reference to Russia, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian complained in 
September 2022 that “our allies” have failed to deliver weapons to Armenia 
despite contracts signed with them since 2020. At around the same time, Armenia 
reportedly signed contracts for the purchase of $400 million worth of Indian 
artillery systems, anti-tank rockets and ammunition.




Armenia Condemns Arrests Of Karabakh Leaders


Armenia -- Karabakh President Bako Sahakian (C) and his predecessor Arkadi 
Ghukasian (R) shake hands with prosecutors during former Armenian President 
Robert Kocharian's trial in Yerevan, May 16, 2019.


Armenia on Wednesday strongly condemned Azerbaijan for arresting about a dozen 
current and former leaders and military commanders of Nagorno-Karabakh and urged 
the international community to help it secure their release.

The Armenian Foreign Ministry said the “arbitrary arrests” run counter to Baku’s 
pledges to respect the rights of Karabakh’s ethnic Armenian population and 
embark on dialogue with its representatives.

“The Republic of Armenia will take all possible steps to protect the rights of 
illegally arrested representatives of Nagorno-Karabakh, including in 
international courts,” it said in a statement.

It noted that the Armenian government already asked the International Court of 
Justice on September 28 to issue an injunction banning such “punitive actions” 
against Karabakh leaders.

“We also call on international partners to … address the issue both on a 
bilateral level with Azerbaijan and on various international platforms,” added 
the statement.

Karabakh’s three former presidents -- Arayik Harutiunian, Bako Sahakian and 
Arkadi Ghukasian -- as well as current parliament speaker Davit Ishkhanian were 
taken to Baku to face grave criminal charges on Tuesday. Their detentions 
followed the mass exodus of Karabakh’s residents that left the enclave almost 
fully depopulated less than two weeks after Azerbaijan launched a military 
offensive in the region.

Karabakh’s former premier Ruben Vardanyan, former Foreign Minister Davit 
Babayan, former army commander Levon Mnatsakanian and his ex-deputy Davit 
Manukian were arrested by Azerbaijani security forces last week while trying to 
enter Armenia through the Lachin corridor.

The Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry rejected the Armenian criticism and defended 
the arrests, saying they “serve to restore justice.” It said the jailed Karabakh 
leaders promoted separatism, organized “terrorist acts” and participated in 
“aggression against Azerbaijan.”

The arrests also raised more question about Russia’s peacekeeping mission in 
Karabakh which many in Armenia now regard as a gross failure. Karabakh’s 
political and military leadership has long been known for its pro-Russian views.

The Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, Maria Zakharova, indicated on 
Wednesday that the Armenian government did not ask Moscow to help free the 
jailed Karabakh leaders. “Nobody has appealed to us officially or unofficially,” 
Zakharova told reporters.

“One should first of all remember that Karabakh’s former leaders are citizens of 
Armenia and one of them had renounced Russian citizenship,” she said, referring 
to Vardanyan, a billionaire businessman who relocated to Karabakh a year ago.




Iran Offers To Send Observers To Armenian-Azeri Border


IRAN -- Iranian Armed Forces Chief of Staff Major General Mohammad Bagheri 
speaks during an international conference in Tehran, February 23, 2021.


Iran has offered to deploy military observers to the Armenian-Azerbaijani border 
amid the lingering risk of renewed fighting there.

The Iranian army chief of staff, Major General Mohammad Bagheri, made the offer 
at a meeting with the visiting secretary of Armenia’s Security Council, Armen 
Grigorian, held late on Tuesday. Grigorian flew to Tehran on Sunday to discuss 
the aftermath of Azerbaijan’s military offensive in Nagorno-Karabakh with top 
Iranian officials, including President Ebrahim Raisi.

Iranian media cited Bagheri as urging Armenia and Azerbaijan to deescalate 
tensions and resolve their disputes peacefully.

“Expressing Iran's readiness to dispatch observers to the Armenia-Azerbaijan 
border, the Iranian military official emphasized that there should not be any 
aggressive goal or intention behind the improvement of the defense capabilities 
of any country,” reported the Mehr news agency. It gave no details of the 
proposed deployment.

Grigorian’s office did not mention Bagheri’s offer in its readout of the 
meeting. It said the Armenian official praised “Iran’s position on the 
inviolability of borders in the region.”

The European Union deployed about a hundred monitors along Armenia’s border with 
Azerbaijan early this year after the Armenian government refused a similar 
mission proposed by the Russian-led Collective Security Treaty Organization 
(CSTO). Moscow has criticized Yerevan and said the EU monitors cannot prevent 
deadly fighting that periodically breaks out along the border.

Armenia - The foreign ministers of Armenia and Iran inaugurate the Iranian 
consulate in Syunik's capital Kapan, October 21, 2022.

The Azerbaijani takeover of Karabakh raised more fears in Yerevan that Baku will 
also attack Armenia to open an exterritorial land corridor to Azerbaijan’s 
Nakhichevan exclave passing through Syunik, the sole Armenian province bordering 
Iran. President Ilham Aliyev and other Azerbaijani leaders regularly demand such 
a corridor.

Iran has repeatedly warned against attempts to strip it of the common border and 
transport links with Armenia. Meeting with Grigorian on Monday, Ali-Akbar 
Ahmadian, the secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, reaffirmed 
Tehran’s strong opposition to “any changes in the geopolitics of the region.”

For his part, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian told Grigorian 
that regional problems should be addressed “without external intervention” and 
in a “3+3 format” involving the three South Caucasus states as well as Iran, 
Turkey and Russia.

Bagheri similarly objected to the “presence of extra-regional forces” in the 
region. In that context, he repeated Tehran’s criticism of a U.S.-Armenian 
military exercise hosted by Armenia last month.




France Signals Arms Supplies To Armenia

        • Nane Sahakian

Armenia - French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna arrives for a news 
conference in Yerevan, October 3, 2023.


France is ready to deliver weapons to Armenia to help the South Caucasus state 
counter threats to its territorial integrity, French Foreign Minister Catherine 
Colonna said during a visit to Yerevan late on Tuesday.

"France has given its agreement to the conclusion of future contracts with 
Armenia which will allow the delivery of military equipment to Armenia so that 
it can ensure its defense," Colonna told a joint news conference with her 
Armenian counterpart Ararat Mirzoyan.

She declined to shed light on those contracts, saying only “there are things 
that were already agreed between Armenia and France and that are in progress.”

The French government has condemned Azerbaijan’s September 19-20 military 
offensive in Nagorno-Karabakh that paved the way for the restoration of 
Azerbaijani control over the region and displaced its virtually entire ethnic 
Armenian population. President Emmanuel Macron suggested last week that Baku 
might now attack Armenia as well.

French Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu said afterwards that the sovereignty 
and territorial integrity of Armenia are an “absolute objective for us.” Lecornu 
did not rule out arms supplies or other military aid to Armenia, saying that 
Paris is already examining Yerevan’s defense “needs.”

Speaking after talks with Mirzoyan and Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian, Colonna 
noted that Azerbaijan has “continuously armed itself to take action,” using its 
oil revenues and Turkey’s military assistance.

She said Paris has also proposed that the European Union expand its monitoring 
mission along Armenia’s border with Azerbaijan and help Yerevan from a special 
fund designed to boost EU partners’ defense capacity.

Armenian parliament speaker Alen Simonian revealed in July that the Armenian 
government requested “technical assistance” from the European Peace Facility 
(EPF) but was rebuffed by Brussels.

Colonna signaled French arms supplies amid Armenia’s mounting tensions with 
Russia, its longtime ally, which are calling into question its membership in the 
Russian-led Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO). Mirzoyan insisted 
that Paris is not pressing Yerevan to leave the CSTO in return for such aid.

Russia has long been Armenia’s principal supplier of military hardware and 
ammunition.



Reposted on ANN/Armenian News with permission from RFE/RL
Copyright (c) 2023 Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, Inc.
1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

Armenia: Under fire PM Pashinyan refuses to resign

Yeghisabet Vorskanian
First Post
Oct 4 2023
Ajeyo Basu

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, who is under fire, said on Wednesday that he would step down immediately if it would help Armenia’s issues, but he thought it would make matters worse.

The pressure on Pashinyan has increased since neighbouring Azerbaijan took control of the Armenian-populated territory of Nagorno-Karabakh last month, as evidenced by his remark to an opposition member of parliament.

Since then, the majority of Karabakh’s population—more than 100,000 people—has fled and sought safety in Armenia, a nation with a population of only 2.8 million.

Since taking office in 2018, Pashinyan claimed that Armenia had always experienced difficulties.

“I’ll say it straight: If I know that, for example, by my resignation or removal all these challenges will be resolved, I’ll do it the very next second because, unlike you, I do not cling and have never clung to my chair,” the state news agency Armenpress quoted him as saying.

“But all my analysis shows that this will lead to exactly the opposite result. And this is also the reason why it isn’t happening.”

The destiny of Nagorno-Karabakh, which the majority of Armenians view as a national tragedy that has forced them to leave ancestral territories, has prompted protesters to call for Pashinyan to resign.

Despite the fact that the ethnic Armenian majority in the region had enjoyed de facto independence since seceding in a war in the 1990s after the fall of the Soviet Union, the territory is accepted internationally as belonging to Azerbaijan.

According to Azerbaijani state media, Pashinyan previously declared he would attend Thursday’s negotiations in Spain that were being mediated by the European Union despite Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan pulling out.

In the past 30 years, the two neighbours have engaged in two wars over Karabakh, and despite efforts by the EU, the US, and Russia, they have not yet agreed to sign a peace deal.

(With agency inputs)

https://www.firstpost.com/world/armenia-under-fire-pm-pashinyan-refuses-to-resign-13203702.html

Almost all Nagorno-Karabakh’s ethnic Armenians have fled, Armenia says

Yeghisabet Vorskanian
euronews
Oct 1 2023
By Daniel Bellamy with AP

The exodus came after Azerbaijan attacked Nagorno-Karabakh on September 19th and ordered the breakaway region’s militants to disarm.

Nazeli Baghdasaryan, the press secretary to Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, said that 100,480 had arrived in Armenia from Nagorno-Karabakh, which had a population of around 120,000 before Azerbaijan reclaimed the region in a lightning offensive last week.

A total of 21,076 vehicles had crossed the Hakari Bridge, which links Armenia to Nagorno-Karabakh, since last week, Baghdasaryan said. Some lined up for days because the winding mountain road that is the only route to Armenia became jammed.

The departure of more than 80% of Nagorno-Karabakh's population raises questions about Azerbaijan’s plans for the enclave, which was internationally recognised as part of its territory. The region's separatist ethnic Armenian government said on Thursday it would dissolve itself by the end of the year after a three-decade bid for independence.

Pashinyan has alleged the ethnic Armenian exodus amounted to “a direct act of an ethnic cleansing and depriving people of their motherland.” But Azerbaijan’s Foreign Ministry strongly rejected the characterisation, saying the mass migration by the region's residents was “their personal and individual decision and has nothing to do with forced relocation.”

In a related development, Azerbaijani authorities on Friday arrested the former foreign minister of Nagorno-Karabakh’s separatist government, presidential adviser David Babayan, Azerbaijan’s Prosecutor General’s Office said on Saturday.

Babayan's arrest follows the Azerbaijani border guard's detention of the former head of Nagorno-Karabakh’s separatist government, State Minister Ruben Vardanyan, as he tried to cross into Armenia on Wednesday.

The arrests appear to reflect Azerbaijan’s intention to quickly enforce its grip on the region after the military offensive.

During three decades of conflict in the region, Azerbaijan and the separatists backed by Armenia have accused each other of targeted attacks, massacres and other atrocities, leaving people on both sides deeply suspicious and fearful.

While Azerbaijan has pledged to respect the rights of ethnic Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh, most are fleeing because they don’t trust Azerbaijani authorities to treat them humanely or to guarantee them their language, religion and culture.

After six years of separatist fighting ended in 1994 following the collapse of the Soviet Union, Nagorno-Karabakh came under the control of ethnic Armenian forces, backed by Armenia. Then, during a six-week war in 2020, Azerbaijan took back parts of the region in the South Caucasus mountains along with surrounding territory that Armenian forces had claimed earlier.

In December, Azerbaijan blocked the Lachin Corridor, the only road connecting Nagorno-Karabakh with Armenia, accusing the Armenian government or using it for illicit weapons shipments to the region’s separatist forces.

Weakened by the blockade and with Armenia’s leadership distancing itself from the conflict, ethnic Armenian forces in the region agreed to lay down arms less than 24 hours after Azerbaijan began its offensive. Talks have begun between officials in the Azerbaijani capital of Baku and Nagorno-Karabakh’s separatist authorities on “reintegrating” the region into Azerbaijan.

Three in four residents of Nagorno-Karabakh have fled to Armenia

Yeghisabet Vorskanian
The National, UAE
Sept 29 2023

Gillian Duncan

More than 70 per cent of Nagorno-Karabakh’s population has now fled to Armenia, part of a continuing stream after the swift fall of the separatist enclave.

More than 88,000 people have crossed into Armenia from Nagorno-Karabakh and the total could reach 120,000, according to UN refugee agency officials on Friday.

On Thursday it was announced that the separatist government will cease to exist on January 1, after a decree signed by President Samvel Shakhramanyan, who declared the dissolution of all state institutions by the new year – an apparent death knell for its 30-year de facto independence.

Azerbaijan, which routed the region’s Armenian forces in a lightning offensive last week, has pledged to respect the rights of the territory’s Armenian community and urged the population not to leave.

READ MORE
Former Nagorno-Karabakh leader arrested as half of population flee to Armenia

But many in Armenia and the diaspora fear a centuries-long community in the territory they call Artsakh will disappear in what they say is a new wave of ethnic cleansing.

They accuse European countries, Russia and the United States – and the government of Armenia itself – of failing to protect ethnic Armenians during months when the territory was blockaded by Azerbaijan’s military and in the lightning blitz earlier this month that defeated separatist forces.

Armenians say the loss is a historic blow.

Outside the modern country of Armenia itself, the mountainous land was one of the only surviving parts of a heartland that centuries ago stretched across what is now eastern Turkey, into the Caucasus region and western Iran.

Many in the diaspora had pinned their dreams on it gaining independence or being joined to Armenia.

Nagorno-Karabakh was “a page of hope in Armenian history”, said Narod Seroujian, a Lebanese-Armenian university lecturer in Beirut.

“It showed us that there is hope to gain back a land that is rightfully ours. For the diaspora, Nagorno-Karabakh was already part of Armenia.”

Ethnic Armenians have communities around Europe and the Middle East and in the United States. Lebanon is home to one of the largest, with an estimated 120,000 people of Armenian origin, 4 per cent of the population.

Most are descendants of those who fled the 1915 campaign by Ottoman Turks in which about 1.5 million Armenians died in massacres, deportations and forced marches.

The atrocities, which emptied many ethnic Armenian areas in eastern Turkey, are widely viewed by historians as genocide. Turkey rejects the description, saying the toll has been inflated and that those killed were victims of civil war and unrest during the First World War.

In Bourj Hammoud, the main Armenian district in the capital Beirut, memories are still raw, with anti-Turkey graffiti common on the walls. The red, blue and orange Armenian flag flies from many buildings.

“This is the last migration for Armenians,” said Harout Bshidikian, 55, sitting in front of an Armenian flag in a Bourj Hamoud cafe. “There is no other place left for us to migrate from.”

Azerbaijan says it is reuniting its territory, pointing out that even Armenia’s prime minister recognised that Nagorno-Karabakh is part of Azerbaijan.

Although its population has been predominantly ethnic Armenian Christians, Turkish Muslim Azeris have communities and cultural ties to the territory as well, particularly the city of Shusha, famed as a cradle of Azeri poetry.

Nagorno-Karabakh came under control of ethnic Armenian forces backed by the Armenian military in separatist fighting that ended in 1994.

Azerbaijan took parts of the area in a war in 2020. Now, after this month’s defeat, separatist authorities surrendered their weapons and are holding talks with Azerbaijan on reintegration of the territory into Azerbaijan.

In December, Azerbaijan imposed a blockade of the only road connecting Nagorno-Karabakh with Armenia, alleging that the Armenian government was using the road for mineral extraction and illicit weapons shipments to the region’s separatist forces.

Armenia claimed that the closure denied basic food and fuel supplies to Nagorno-Karabakh.

Azerbaijan rejected the accusation, saying that the region could receive supplies through the Azerbaijani city of Aghdam – a solution long resisted by Nagorno-Karabakh authorities, who called it a strategy for Baku to gain control of the region.

Meanwhile, 170 people are known to have died after a fuel reservoir exploded at a petrol station where people trying to leave were queuing for fuel that, due to the blockade, had been in short supply.

"To date, a total of 170 remains … have been found in the same area and handed over to the forensic medical examination bureau," the separatist authorities said on social media on Friday.

Authorities had earlier said the blast claimed the lives of 68 people and injured another 200. They said on Monday that remains would be transferred to Armenia for identification.

The fireball erupted as refugees were stocking up on fuel for the long drive along the lone mountain road leading to Armenia.

https://www.thenationalnews.com/world/europe/2023/09/29/more-than-70-per-cent-of-nagorno-karabakhs-population-has-fled-to-armenia/

Karabakh Underscores Russia’s Waning Influence in Ex-USSR

Yeghisabet Vorskanian
Kyiv Post, Ukraine
Sept 26 2023

Karabakh Underscores Russia's Waning Influence in Ex-USSR

Armenia bitterly accused Russia of failing its mission when Azerbaijan last week launched a new offensive and took over the rest of the territory.

by AFP |

Azerbaijan's lightning victory in Nagorno-Karabakh, where Moscow has stationed peacekeepers, shows that Russia's influence is quickly dwindling in a region it has long considered its backyard, analysts say.

Russia, which has been mired in Ukraine since the start of the assault last year, refused to intervene when Azerbaijan seized control of the Armenian-populated region of Karabakh last week.

"What happened in Karabakh would have been impossible without a systemic weakening of the Russian state," independent Caucasus expert Gela Vasadze said.

"Russia has no resources to shape the Caucasus affairs any longer."

Over the past three decades Armenia and Azerbaijan have fought two wars over Nagorno-Karabakh, a majority ethnic Armenian enclave within the internationally recognized border of Azerbaijan.

Following a six-week war in 2020 Armenian separatists ceded territory they had controlled for decades in a deal brokered by Russia.

Moscow deployed some 2,000 peacekeepers mandated to ensure the safety of territories remaining under separatist control and prevent any new conflict.

Armenia bitterly accused Russia of failing its mission when Azerbaijan last week launched a new offensive and took over the rest of the territory.

The hostilities that according to the separatists killed some 200 people followed a months-long blockade in Karabakh that Armenia said Russian peacekeepers had also failed to prevent.

Azerbaijan's one-day military operation ended on Wednesday with a separatist pledge to disarm and thousands of refugees streaming into Armenia.

Russian peacekeepers "turned out to be powerless in front of one of the parties — Azerbaijan," said independent Russian analyst Arkady Dubnov.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan did not mince his words on Sunday, saying a security agreements with Russia had proved "insufficient" and suggesting he would seek new alliances.

Armenia is a member of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), a Moscow-led security alliance comprised of six post-Soviet states.

The group pledges to protect other members in case of an attack. "In recent days no one has mentioned the CSTO as if it does not exist," said Dubnov.

"And that's the truth — it does not," he added, calling the alliance a "suitcase without a handle" – hard to carry around and a shame to abandon.

Moscow insisted that its peacekeepers were not to blame, vowed to ensure the rights of Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh and said it was maintaining dialogue with Yerevan.

But in a sign of rising tensions, Moscow on Monday accused the Armenian leadership of "running to the West."

"The leadership in Yerevan is making a huge mistake by deliberately trying to destroy Armenia's multifaceted and centuries-old ties with Russia," Russia's foreign ministry said.

This month Armenia and the United States held military drills, in the latest sign of Yerevan drifting from Moscow's orbit.

Russia's assault on Ukraine has spurred other ex-Soviet countries to deepen alliances elsewhere. The leaders of five Central Asian former Soviet countries – Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, and Tajikistan – met for a summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping in May.

Last week US President Joe Biden met the leaders of the so-called "C5" on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York.

"Russia is losing its influence because it can't offer a vision for the future, being busy with territorial expansion, mythologizing history, and looking for the future in its past," Dubnov told AFP.

"Azerbaijan has taken advantage of the fact that Russia is focused on the conflict with Ukraine," he added. Dubnov argued that Baku and Moscow were following the same logic as they sought to reshape their borders by force.

"The law of the strongest wins, and Moscow is leading by example." Vasadze suggested that Russia would seek to regain ground in Armenia by helping install a new government there.

"Of course, Russia wants to maintain its influence on Armenia, where it lost its main lever – Karabakh," he said.

"It is now focusing on its goal to have a loyal government in Yerevan and Pashinyan is not fit for the role."

 

AW: A Treacherous Situation in Artsakh

Yeghisabet Vorskanian
 Armenian Relief Society International Inc. Nonprofit News, Diaspora 0

WATERTOWN, Mass.—On , our Nation was again confronted with a profound tragedy.

The relentless 10-month-long blockade, the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Artsakh and the Azerbaijani aerial assault on September 19, 2023, which led to the displacement of our people, have all cast a shadow of suffering over our land. Yesterday, in the heart of Stepanakert-Askeran, Artsakh, a catastrophic explosion occurred, claiming the lives of innocent civilians and leaving hundreds injured, including children.

The Armenian Relief Society extends its heartfelt condolences to the victims of the explosion and their grieving families. We wish a swift and complete recovery to those injured and express our unwavering determination as a Nation to rebuild and recover.

The global community must respond promptly by initiating an airlift to aid the survivors, launch relief efforts, and support the injured and the families who have lost their loved ones.

During this period of profound sorrow, the unity and resilience of the Armenian people will undoubtedly shine as we stand together in solidarity to assist our fellow compatriots who have been deeply affected by this tragic event.

Armenian Relief Society

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Armenian Relief Society, Inc. (ARS) is an independent, non-governmental and non-sectarian organization which serves the humanitarian needs of the Armenian people and seeks to preserve the cultural identity of the Armenian nation. It mobilizes communities to advance the goals of all sectors of humanity. For well over a century, it has pioneered solutions to address the challenges that impact our society.


Nagorno-Karabakh must obtain status, direct connection with Armenia through Lachin Corridor, says NK President-elect

Yeghisabet Vorskanian

 16:18, 9 September 2023

YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 9, ARMENPRESS. Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh) must receive a status and direct connection with Armenia through Lachin Corridor, President-elect Samvel Shahramanyan has said.

“Nagorno-Karabakh must receive a status, and we must have direct connection with Armenia through Lachin Corridor, while other routes could be opened, but they shouldn’t replace the corridor,” Shahramanyan said after being elected President by the parliament of Nagorno-Karabakh.

“Negotiations must take place, the format [of talks] can be both multilateral and bilateral, with guarantees from a third party, Stepanakert must be a subject in the negotiations,” Shahramanyan added.

He called for the strengthening of the statehood, domestic stability, exercising the right to self-determination of the people of Nagorno-Karabakh, improving the socio-economic situation and establishing law and order.

Kim Kardashian calls on Biden to stop the next Armenian genocide, pressure Azerbaijan to open Lachin Corridor

Yeghisabet Vorskanian

 21:05, 8 September 2023

YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 8, ARMENPRESS. Armenian-American reality TV star, entrepreneur Kim Kardashian and UCLA physician, Emmy-nominated film producer Eric Esrailian are making a public plea to U.S. President Joe Biden, calling on him and other world leaders to stop the Armenian genocide in Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh). 

In a piece published by the Rolling Stone, Kardashian and Esrailian appealed to U.S. President Joe Biden, Secretary of State Blinken, and their colleagues to take a stand immediately and pressure Azerbaijan to open the Lachin corridor without preconditions.

 Below is the full article.

“WE ARE ARMENIAN. We are the descendants of Armenian Genocide survivors, and we do not want to be talking about the recognition or commemoration of yet another genocide in the future. 

“Since December of last year, Azerbaijan has blockaded the only lifeline between the indigenous Christian Armenians of Artsakh (also known as Nagorno-Karabakh) and the rest of the world. For many years, they have been dependent on the transport of food, medical supplies, and humanitarian aid through the Lachin Corridor. The war in Ukraine has made Azerbaijan a seemingly more favorable alternative to Russian oil and gas for some countries. However, this reliance has emboldened the autocratic Azeri government to use starvation as a weapon against the Armenian population in the region. There is no more time for thoughts, prayers, or concern.

“The 2020 war, after Azerbaijan attacked Armenians in Artsakh without provocation, has never ended in the minds of Armenians around the world. Despite a cease-fire agreement, the attacks on Armenian soldiers have been constant and without repercussions. Armenophobic policies have been designed and widely promoted by the Azeri government and others. Regional peace should not involve sacrificing the sovereignty of the Armenians in Artsakh, but regardless of what anyone believes about our opinion, it is clear that this ruthless blockade has crossed all red lines of human rights and humanitarian law. Blocking human rights groups, such as the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), and the hateful rhetoric accompanying the blockade are signs of genocidal intent.

“Azerbaijan’s government and its allies claim that there are alternate routes that should be used. Using a separate Azerbaijan-controlled passage for the occasional delivery of supplies is disingenuous at best. More likely, it will signal the beginning of the end for Armenians and Christians in Artsakh. At the start of this crisis, there were approximately 120,000 Armenians, including 30,000 children, living in the republic. Unfortunately, because of starvation and the inability to receive adequate medical care, there has already been a significant and tragic loss of life — and it will only get worse without immediate action. For those who survive, the trauma will be permanent. While there was a disingenuous attempt to portray the blockade as one related to environmental concerns, Armenians and international observers knew that the desire was to make the republic so uninhabitable that people would either die or agree to leave. Meanwhile, supporters of this starvation use coordinated social media campaigns to pretend that a blockade is not taking place. This dystopian propaganda may be absurd to those with knowledge, but the defenders of these human rights abuses are trying to confuse people given everything else happening in the world.

“Numerous genocide watchdog groups and the United Nations’ own independent Special Rapporteurs — including the first UN Special Advisor on the Prevention of Genocide, Professor Juan Mendez — have been trying to alert the world about these impending atrocities for months. Last month, Luis Moreno Ocampo, the first chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, published his independent report. He concluded that a genocide is already underway because under Article II, (c) of the Genocide Convention, Azerbaijan is “Deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction.”

“The University Network for Human Rights, in collaboration with students, lawyers, and academics from Harvard Law School Advocates for Human Rights, UCLA’s Promise Institute for Human Rights, Wesleyan University, and Yale’s Lowenstein Project, conducted two fact-finding trips in Nagorno-Karabakh and four in Armenia between March 2022 and July 2023. Their recently published briefing paper states, “Moreover, the abuses we documented are not a string of unrelated rights violations; taken together, these abuses reveal a synchronized, comprehensive campaign to empty Nagorno-Karabakh and parts of Armenia of Armenians.”

“The collective silence or inaction by individuals, governments, and governmental organizations like the United Nations and European Union has perpetuated the crisis. Every passing day puts more lives in danger. American taxpayer dollars are now facilitating and enabling this behavior by providing foreign aid to an oil-rich nation. Through economic sanctions, cutting off foreign aid to Azerbaijan, boycotting international events in Azerbaijan (such as concerts and sporting events like soccer and Formula 1), and through proceedings in international courts, we can collectively achieve results, but this process has been too slow and time is running out. As citizens, we are appealing to leaders such as President Biden, Secretary of State Blinken, and their colleagues to take a stand immediately. They must pressure Azerbaijan to open the corridor without preconditions.

“We are just two people. We have been working behind the scenes to support our Armenian brothers and sisters, but this diplomatic approach has not yielded meaningful results. This crisis will clearly not be remedied by individuals, but we will continue to do what we can to use whatever influence we have. We are not politicians or government leaders, and despite our own diplomatic efforts, this humanitarian crisis has persisted with no clear end in sight — except for the potential for ethnic cleansing of the Armenian population. We will continue to use our voices to amplify the truth.

“The people in Artsakh want to live in peace. Now is the time for true leadership. We need for those who have a meaningful role in these affairs to immediately demand that the Lachin Corridor is opened to stop another genocide. We want to draw more attention to the crisis and appeal to those in our own government who truly care about humanity to intervene. The United States has the ability to mobilize a response. Leaders who are effective and help our people will be remembered for their heroism. Even if well-meaning, the ones who are inert and ineffective will be remembered for allowing a genocide to take place under their watch. The choice is theirs.”