Category: 2020

BY HARUT SASSOUNIAN

Exiled Turkish journalist Cevheri Guven disclosed in a video report the names and activities of three Turkish Generals who had a decisive role in leading Azerbaijan’s war on Artsakh, starting on Sept. 27 2020. It is already known that modern drones and missiles purchased by Azerbaijan from Israel, Turkey and Russia had a devastating effect on Armenia and Artsakh. It is also known that 200 Turkish military advisors and several thousand Syrian mercenaries participated in the war on behalf of Azerbaijan. However, this is the first time that a detailed report is made public about the presence of these Turkish Generals in Azerbaijan during the war.

One of the Turkish military leaders is Lieutenant General Sheref Ongay. The second is Major General Bahtiyar Ersay, and the third is Major General Goksel Kahya. The presence of these Turkish Generals in Baku is linked to the dismissal before the Artsakh War of Colonel General Nejmeddin Sadikov, Azerbaijan’s First Deputy Minister of Defense and Chief of General Staff who had been at his post for 27 years. He was accused of treason and cooperation with the Russian military intelligence, according to Russian and dissident Azeri sources. Sadikov was reportedly arrested after his dismissal which was denied by Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Defense. However, he has not been seen in public since his dismissal. Sadikov was reportedly born in Derbent, Dagestan, and is of Lezgin origin. He has a poor knowledge of the Azerbaijani language. It is also alleged that his cousin is serving in the Russian Army in Gumri, Armenia.

Sadikov was educated in Russia. It is important to note that a large number of Azeri soldiers were sent to Turkey to get their military education. Sadikov did not allow those returning from Turkey to serve in critical military positions. He was opposed to Turkish dominance in the leadership of the Azerbaijan’s Armed Forces. As a result, Turkey asked for Sadikov’s dismissal after which those trained in Turkey were given leading posts.

Returning to the three Turkish Generals, Sheref Ongay is the Commander of the Turkish Third Army, deployed in Erzingan. He was in control of the Artsakh War. Ongay graduated from the military academy in Ankara in 1982 and served in various units of the ground forces. In 2014, he was appointed Commander of the 9th Army Corps. He was for a while the head of the infantry school in Tuzla.

The second Turkish military leader in Azerbaijan, Major General Bahtiyar Ersay, was earlier jailed for being involved in a scandal (Operation Sledgehammer). However, he was pardoned and released, possibly because he made a plea bargain with the authorities, disclosing the names of the other participants in the conspiracy. He was subsequently promoted to the rank of Brigadier General becoming in charge of the 2nd Commando Brigade which fought with great brutality against the PKK (Kurdistan Workers’ Party) in Eastern Turkey. He is now the Chief of Operations at the Command of Turkish Land Forces. He stayed in Baku throughout the Artsakh War and personally managed the operations. Before the start of the war, two satellite communication centers were built in Baku and at the military airport of Gabala to contact the soldiers on the ground and the headquarters in Turkey. Both centers were managed exclusively by the Turkish Army. The Azerbaijani military was ordered to obey all commands of the Turkish superiors and not argue with or contradict them. Ersay was in charge of the Syrian mercenaries who had earlier fought in Syria and Libya on behalf of Turkey. Furthermore, Ersay managed the highly technical military equipment provided by Turkey to Azerbaijan.

The third Turkish military man is Major General Goksel Kahya who was in Azerbaijan since July of this year. He is close to the Defense Minister of Turkey. Previously, he was Deputy Undersecretary in the Ministry of Defense. While taking part in the war in Libya on behalf of Turkey, he was captured by the opposition Libyan forces and then released. Kahya was in charge of the Turkish drones operating in Libya which gave him valuable experience in managing the drone war against Artsakh.

Since the end of the Artsakh War, the Azeri public has expressed its unhappiness that Russian peacekeepers are located on the territory of Karabakh. Some analysts have described the Russian presence in Azerbaijan, Armenia and Georgia as a defeat for Turkey and the United States, and a victory for Russia, having located its forces “under the nose of NATO member Turkey.” As Russian online newspaper Vzglyad concluded: Artsakh War’s “plan was Turkish, the Generals were Turkish, and the drones were made in Turkey…. Baku can celebrate victory, but in terms of command and control, Turkish Generals can celebrate victory.”

Retired Lieutenant Colonel of the Azerbaijani Army Oleg Guliyev, now living in Moscow, told the Vzglyad newspaper: “Azerbaijan must fully reclaim Karabakh. This is correct and fair. But we must reclaim Karabakh ourselves. If we reclaim it on a Turkish leash, then we will reclaim only Karabakh, and we will lose the rest of our country.”

Clarification
In my article last week, I referred to a letter purportedly written by Catholicos Khrimian Hyrig. After my article’s publication, I discovered that the letter was actually written more recently by historian Hayk Konjoryan imitating Khrimian’s writing style and nationalistic views. I regret any confusion that this may have caused.

BY REV. FR. KAREKIN BEDOURIAN

In the history of the universe, the year 2020 will be remembered for its various unique simulations and realities which have created distinctive feelings, challenges, and situations. The world has been through, and still is in a state of catastrophe due to the Coronavirus pandemic. People continue to suffer adversely with their health, finances, social, and psychological ordeals. Humanity altered many of its norms and mores for many, everyday, ordinary practices.

Despite all these obstacles, humanity strives to escape out of a conundrum, to continue living, to resume normal routines, and to adjust to its surroundings. Many norms and values have changed, and the way of life and social interactions have taken a sudden turn into an unknown mode. Hopelessness and external pressures have transformed lives of many with undesirable consequences. Many have taken these events seriously, while trying to adapt and overcome.

The Armenian people were not immune from all that happened. On the contrary, in the year 2020, Armenians had such an experience that it turned a new page in contemporary Armenian history, not bright, rather infamous, and deeply etched in the minds of every Armenian.

The Armenian people, whether in Armenia, Artsakh or the Diaspora, were affected in various ways due to the COVID-19, and suffered heavy losses. The unprecedented explosion in Beirut, Lebanon, in areas where also large number of Armenians lived, caused economic hardship and political turmoil. The Armenian people, as a collective body, felt the pain from Beirut and were shaken because an important center was affected. Despite all those difficulties, the Armenian community of Lebanon was resilient. In other Armenian Diaspora communities, such as in Syria, Armenians continued to encounter immeasurable difficulties, though they continue to exist and survive.

Furthermore, a major calamity of modern times occurred: the bloody conflict and war in Artsakh. The war took its toll on the peace-loving and harmless population. Thousands lost their lives; thousands of square kilometers of ancestral lands were lost. There are hundreds of missing or captured as prisoners. Innumerable losses were sustained, impacting the populace socially, financially and psychologically. Sadly, the Armenian Genocide was being repeated in modern times, in front of the eyes of numerous nations of the world which seemed to be oblivious to the severity of the situation. The Armenian nation is in mourning. The pain of loss is untreatable and unacceptable; however, it became one of the realities of the year 2020.

The suffering and pain are enormous; the wounds are deep and incurable. As a Christian nation, staying faithful to Christ’s teachings and words, and having a high reverence towards our nation, and as individuals or a group, we should not lose hope, we cannot succumb, and we should never weaken in our resolve. Such feelings have not been and never should be realized in our characters. Armenians have endured and have survived numerous massacres and the Genocide, thanks to a strong will which cannot be crushed nor subdued.

Armenians had their share in the pandemic affecting the world; however, the world did not share nor partake of what the Armenians have experienced: the feeling of loss and the consequences of the war. The continental crisis is a sign as to how one should live a meaningful and good life, knowing that the same life can be taken from us and vanish without a trace in the twinkling of an eye. These realities and challenges are to emphasize priorities for mankind, and the purpose of the life which God has granted to each one of us.

As a people dispersed across a wide world, we ought to think seriously about our collective priorities as a nation. How can we shape a nation with strong and unshakable principles and with solid foundations? We must ponder, think, and resolve the situation. Let us always remember and admit that we have not lost, because real defeat happens when the spirit and the will are broken. As long as we continue to be the guardians of our national integrity and honor, we will be victorious. The proof is in our thousands of years history.

The Apostle Paul has written a wonderful and consoling passage especially to each one of us in his letter to Romans 12.12: “Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer.”

Let hope, patience and prayer be abundant in our lives. Let us live with the delight of hope, overcome all miseries with patience, and especially pray unceasingly to eternalize our lives of faith and identities.

By Rev. Fr. Karekin Bedourian is the pastor at Forty Martyrs Armenian Church in Orange County.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Tuesday that Moscow and Ankara had agreed that the situation in Nagorno Karabakh should not be used for the infiltration of foreign mercenaries the region.

“Our joint opinion is that the situation in Nagorno Karabakh should not be used for the infiltration of foreign mercenaries to that region. We have completely the same position here with our Turkish partners,” said Lavrov after talks with his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu.

This statement comes on the heels of Ankara deploying to troops to Azerbaijan on Tuesday for the join Russian-Turkish Karabakh ceasefire monitoring base, which is to become operational in January. Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has indicated that the base will be located in Aghdam.

On Monday, however, Russia voiced serious concerns over the deployment of foreign mercenaries in the Nagorno Karabakh conflict zone during the months of October and November, a statement issued by the Russian Foreign Ministry said on the occasion of Lavrov’s participation in the 8th session of Russian-Turkish strategic planning.

”The emphasis will be placed on reducing the risk of potential clashes and providing humanitarian assistance to the parties. The Russian side expresses serious concerns over the deployment of foreign mercenaries to Nagorno Karabakh conflict zone during the months of October-November,’’ said the statement.

”We consider this center as an auxiliary element of the post-conflict settlement, in addition to the Russian peacekeeping mission and other measures. The tasks of the center, as it is known, include monitoring the situation by visual observation methods, in particular, collecting, summarizing and checking data on violations with the use of unmanned aerial vehicles,’’ added the statement.