Category: 2023

Armenia and Azerbaijan “remain divergent” on key points of peace treaty

Tambiyan Samvel
 Lillian Avedian News 0

Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, and Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan (Photo: Twitter/@SecBlinken)

Conflicting reports have emerged on progress achieved during high-level talks in Washington last week, as American and Azerbaijani leaders have struck an optimistic tone while Armenian authorities have noted serious obstacles to a peace deal. 

Armen Grigoryan, Secretary of the Security Council of Armenia, told reporters on Tuesday that the Armenian and Azerbaijani delegations did not make progress on the most fundamental issues under negotiation. Namely, they did not reach agreements on the creation of an international mechanism to oversee talks between Artsakh and Azerbaijan, international guarantees for compliance with a peace treaty and recognition of Armenia’s territorial integrity.

Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan and his Azerbaijani counterpart Jeyhun Bayramov held talks in Arlington, Virginia from May 1-4 to negotiate a peace deal titled “Agreement on normalization of relations.” They also met with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan. 

Armenia and Azerbaijan released brief, identical statements after the marathon talks. The ministers “advanced mutual understanding on some articles of the draft bilateral agreement” while “acknowledging that the positions on some key issues remain divergent,” according to the statement. 

Secretary Blinken said that the sides made “tangible” progress toward signing a peace agreement. He said that both sides “agreed in principle to certain terms.” 

“I think the pace of the negotiations and the foundation that our colleagues have built shows that we really are within reach of an agreement. The last mile of any marathon is always the hardest—we know that. But the United States is here to continue to help both of our friends cross the finish line. And as I say, I think we’re very much within reach of that,” Blinken said during the closing session. 

Bayramov was also optimistic about progress made during negotiations, stating that they had taken “one step forward.” He noted “quite a lot of differences between the positions of the parties.”  

“But some points of the peace treaty were agreed upon in those negotiations,” Bayramov told reporters on Wednesday.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, however, said that several obstacles remain to signing a peace agreement. PM Pashinyan said that an international mechanism should be established that would facilitate direct dialogue between Stepanakert and Baku. He added that it has been “impossible” to agree on language recognizing Armenia’s territorial integrity. 

Azerbaijani forces have launched several border attacks on Armenia proper since the end of the 2020 Artsakh War. They have captured at least 215 square kilometers of Armenia’s sovereign territory, according to satellite imagery. 

“Despite all this, Armenia remains committed to the policy of resolving the outstanding issues through negotiations, and we are ready to sign a peace agreement with Azerbaijan,” Pashinyan said during a visit to Prague on May 4.

Political scientist Tigran Grigoryan said that the creation of an international mechanism for direct talks between Artsakh and Azerbaijan “represents a red line for both sides.” Without reaching such an agreement, “Yerevan would, in the words of Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, give Baku ‘a mandate for ethnic cleansing’ in Nagorno-Karabakh.”

“This is а red line for Baku as well because the establishment of a negotiating format with international involvement would nullify two of its main post-war narratives: first, that the conflict is over; and second, that issues related to Nagorno-Karabakh are purely domestic matters for Azerbaijan,” Grigoryan said in an op-ed for Civilnet. 

The talks in Washington were organized after Azerbaijan set up a checkpoint at the entrance to the Berdzor (Lachin) Corridor from Armenia on April 23. The installation of the checkpoint violates the ceasefire agreement ending the 2020 Artsakh War, which says that the Berdzor Corridor, the sole route connecting Artsakh with Armenia and the rest of the world, will be controlled by Russian peacekeeping forces. Azerbaijan has closed the Berdzor Corridor since December 2022, placing Artsakh under blockade and precipitating a humanitarian crisis. The import of food and medical supplies to the region has come to a halt. 

Artsakh authorities say that the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has been unable to transport medical patients to Armenia for 11 days due to the checkpoint. The ICRC has transported people from Artsakh to Armenia for medical treatment since the start of the blockade, due to the lack of necessary medical supplies and equipment. Since April 23, the ICRC has only transferred patients to Armenia three times, and none since April 29. Russian peacekeepers have transported two patients in critical condition for treatment. Yet more than 30 people are awaiting medical treatment.  

Negotiations between Armenian and Azerbaijani leaders are scheduled to continue in Brussels this week. PM Pashinyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev will meet with European Council President Charles Michel on May 14. They will later meet with French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on June 1. The foreign ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan will also participate in a trilateral meeting in Moscow following talks in Brussels. 

  •  Bio
  •  Twitter
  •  Latest Posts
Lillian Avedian is a staff writer for the Armenian Weekly. Her writing has also been published in the Los Angeles Review of Books, Hetq and the Daily Californian. She is pursuing master’s degrees in journalism and Near Eastern Studies at New York University. A human rights journalist and feminist poet, Lillian's first poetry collection Journey to Tatev was released with Girls on Key Press in spring of 2021.


ANC of Southern Illinois welcomes establishment of Friendship City between Granite City and Ashan

David Nargizian
 ANCA-Eastern Region ANCA News 0

Steve Hagopian, Mayor of Granite City Mike Parkinson, Stephen Hagopian and Der Taniel Manjikian

GRANITE CITY, Ill. – The city council of Granite City issued a proclamation last month establishing a Friendship City with Ashan in the Republic of Artsakh.

The proclamation on April 18, 2023 was spearheaded by Granite City Mayor Parkinson and sets the foundation for long-term cooperation between the two cities. It also provides opportunities to “engage in critical exchange of ideas to further Ashan’s support of economic stability, cultural preservation, and strong social ties in Artsakh,” as outlined in the proclamation.

Ashan is a border village in the province of Martuni in the Republic of Artsakh and has been severely impacted by Azerbaijan’s timeline of aggression, most recently their brutal blockade, which has surpassed 145 days and has hindered the delivery of vital necessities.

“Artsakhtsis, and more specifically the citizens of Ashan, have been subjected to the inhumane treatment of Azerbaijan for years. While resolute in our will to remain in our homes and on our indigenous lands, we have faced our fair share of hardships. This proclamation and the establishment of this Friendship City shows our people that the Diaspora and the communities in the Eastern United States have our back. With the support of the international community, we can continue to stand up to the enemy, amidst the threat of annihilation,” said Armen Balasanyan, mayor of Ashan. “We have endured over 145 days of blockade and one thing remains certain, our right to live on this land is unalienable,” he concluded.

Through the tireless efforts of ANC of Southern Illinois activists, this proclamation expresses that Granite City stands in solidarity with the people of Ashan – sending a clear message that their plight is not one to face alone.

“We are extremely proud of the stance that Granite City Mayor Parkinson took by issuing this Friendship City proclamation. This step builds on the longstanding relationship the Armenian community has built with the elected officials of Granite City. Through this proclamation, Mayor Parkinson powerfully demonstrates that he stands with the Armenians of Artsakh who are on the brink of genocide,” said Steve Hagopian, ANC of Granite City co-chair.

  •  Bio
  •  Latest Posts
The Armenian National Committee of America Eastern Region is part of the largest and most influential Armenian American grassroots organization, the ANCA. Working in coordination with the ANCA in Washington, DC, and a network of chapters and supporters throughout the Eastern United States, the ANCA-ER actively advances the concerns of the Armenian American community on a broad range of issues.


ANCA Summer Academy expands to two sessions

Hovsep Chakrian
 ANCA ANCA News 0

Applications are open for the third annual ANCA Haroutioun and Elizabeth Kasparian Summer Academy – now hosting two sessions: July 31-August 4th, 2023, and August 7-August 11, 2023.

WASHINGTON, DC – Due to overwhelming nationwide student interest, the third annual Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) Haroutioun & Elizabeth Kasparian Summer Academy has expanded to two sessions this August – offering Armenian American high school students, 17-19 years of age, an insider’s look at advocacy and career opportunities in the nation’s capital.

Applications are available online at anca.org/summer and must be submitted by June 1. The first session of the week-long program will take place from July 31-August 4, 2023, while session two will be held from August 7-August 11, 2023.  

“The ANCA is eagerly awaiting the next cohort of participants,” said ANCA Associate Programs Director Tatevik Khachatryan. “This year is unique because we are offering two sessions for our participants. The intensive one-week session welcomes the best and brightest Armenian American students to our nation’s capital, teaching them valuable skills that can be transferred and applied to their academic work.”  

The ANCA Summer Academy is limited to 10 students per session with the strongest academic records and with the strongest background in community youth activism, including participating in the Armenian Youth Federation, Armenian churches and organizations, schools, student groups and individual initiatives.

ANCA Summer Academy participants will stay at the ANCA Aramian House, a landmark property in downtown Washington, DC which serves as the home and permanent headquarters of the ANCA’s signature youth programs. The Aramian House is named in honor of the late community leader and philanthropist Martha Aramian of Providence, Rhode Island.

Past Summer Academy participants have explored Armenia and Artsakh’s diplomatic challenges and opportunities in discussions with former US Ambassador to Armenia John Evans and Artsakh Representative to the US Robert Avetisyan. In the past, Big Whig Media founders Ken and Keith Nahigian discussed the broader Washington, DC political media scene and effective communication strategies during a tour of their state-of-the-art multi-media studio located just blocks from the White House. Dr. Khatchig Mouradian, the Armenia and Georgia Area Specialist at the Library of Congress has also spoken to program participants.

The program will involve direct engagement with federal policymakers, ANCA experts and a range of professionals who are involved in matters related to both the Republics of Armenia and Artsakh. The Academy will also benefit from presentations from both those who have worked on issues related to the Armenian Cause for decades and those who are currently working in Washington, DC on contemporary matters. Summer academy participants are also introduced to a wide range of career opportunities on Capitol Hill, international development, advocacy and consulting by accomplished Armenian Americans in each of the areas.

Participants from the 2022 Summer Academy class discussed the academic and community impact of the program. Arev Buchaklian from Wisconsin explained, “I think, in a way, Summer Academy made me more Armenian. I learned things about Armenia, politics, and Artsakh that I have never learned before, and met some very influential people. This is only the beginning of my journey with the ANCA, as I will absolutely be applying to more of their programs in the future.”

Alique Stepanian from Massachusetts explained, “The Summer Academy provided me with such a diverse and fulfilling experience of getting more deeply involved in the Armenian-American political field and the Armenian Cause.”

New York participant Andrew Sarkissian concurred, noting, “Participating at the ANCA summer academy equipped me with the skills necessary to make a real difference to Hai Tahd through the US government.”

Arda Tazian from California concluded, “Being a part of the ANCA Summer Academy in Washington, DC has been an incredible experience. It gave me the opportunity to broaden my horizons and better understand ways to advocate for the Armenian community, while simultaneously bonding with others who share my passion for the Armenian Cause.”

Haroutioun and Elizabeth Kasparian

The ANCA Summer Academy is named in honor of Haroutioun and Elizabeth Kasparian in recognition of their lifetime of selfless service and sacrifice for the Armenian community and cause, through a generous grant by their daughter and son-in-law, Arsho and Adour Aghjayan and grandson Nareg. It is the latest in the series of youth empowerment and career development programs including the Leo Sarkisian Internship Program, Hovig Apo Saghdejian Capital Gateway Program, Maral Melkonian Avetisyan Fellowship, and the ANCA Rising Leaders Program – which features the Lucine Kouchakdjian Capitol Hill Day.

  •  Bio
  •  Twitter
  •  Latest Posts
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.


RFE/RL Armenian Report – 09/10/2023

Hovsep Chakrian 
                                        Wednesday, 


Armenian Opposition Activist Acquitted Of Assault Charge

        • Naira Bulghadarian

Armenia - Riot police clash with opposition protesters in Yerevan, June 3, 2022.


An Armenian court on Wednesday acquitted a well-known opposition supporter of 
assaulting a police officer during last year’s anti-government protests in 
Yerevan.

The 37-year-old Igor Khachaturov actively participated in daily demonstrations 
which Armenia’s main opposition groups began last May to demand Prime Minister 
Nikol Pashinian’s resignation over his readiness to make sweeping concessions to 
Azerbaijan. The protests, which lasted for nearly two months, were marred by 
several clashes between riot police and opposition supporters.

Khachaturov was arrested during one of those incidents and spent two months in 
pre-trial detention. He strongly denied assault charges brought against him 
before and during his trial.

The judge presiding over the trial, Tatevik Grigorian, found him not guilty in a 
ruling hailed by opposition leaders. One of them, Artsvik Minasian, said that 
prosecutors failed to present any evidence in support of the accusations based 
on incriminating testimony given by a single policeman.

The Office of the Prosecutor-General said it will decide whether or not to 
appeal against the verdict after receiving a copy of its full text from the 
court.

Khachaturov is one of more than 50 opposition protesters who were charged with 
resisting or assaulting riot police last year. Only he has been acquitted by 
court so far.

By contrast, no police officers were prosecuted for using excessive force 
against protesters even though about 60 oppositionists were formally recognized 
by investigators as “victims” of police violence. Videos posted on social media 
showed policemen punching protesters as the latter were dragged away and 
arrested by other officers.

Igor Khachaturov’s father Yuri was the chief of the Armenian army’s General 
Staff from 2008-2016. He served as secretary general of the Russian-led 
Collective Security Treaty Organization when the current Armenian authorities 
indicted him as well as former President Robert Kocharian in 2018 over their 
alleged role in a 2008 post-election unrest in Yerevan. Armenia’s Constitutional 
Court declared charges brought against them unconstitutional in 2021.

Yuri Khachaturov’s elder son Grigori is also an army general. He was arrested in 
March this year on charges of money laundering denied by him.

Grigori Khachaturov was among four dozen high-ranking military officers who 
accused Pashinian’s government of incompetence and misrule and demanded its 
resignation in February 2021. The unprecedented demand was welcomed by the 
Armenian opposition but condemned as a coup attempt by Pashinian.




Medical Evacuations From Karabakh Halted Due To Azeri Checkpoint

        • Susan Badalian

Nagorno-Karabakh - A convoy of Red Cross vehicles is seen outside Stepanakert, 
January 4, 2023.


The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) confirmed on Wednesday that 
it had to stop evacuating critically ill patients from Nagorno-Karabakh to 
Armenia shortly after Azerbaijan set up a checkpoint on the Lachin corridor late 
last month.

The ICRC has transported scores of such persons to Armenian hospitals since Baku 
effectively blocked Karabakh’s land link with Armenia in December. Only Red 
Cross vehicles as well as convoys of Russian peacekeepers were able to pass 
through the road.

Eteri Musayelian, a spokeswoman for the ICRC office in Stepanakert, told 
RFE/RL’s Armenian Service that the medical evacuations were suspended on April 
29 due to the “new situation” created by the Azerbaijani checkpoint.

“In this new situation, we need to understand whether the terms remain the same 
and whether they are acceptable to all,” explained Musayelian.

“We are now negotiating with all decision-makers because there need to be 
agreements acceptable to all sides so that we can continue our humanitarian 
mission as a neutral humanitarian organization,” she said without disclosing any 
details of those negotiations.

Artak Beglarian, a Karabakh official stranded in Yerevan because of the 
blockade, said Azerbaijan’s “dictatorial regime” blocked the evacuations and is 
now trying to impose passport controls on Karabakh patients and Red Cross staff 
passing through the Lachin corridor.

“30 patients waiting for transfer [to Armenia,]” Beglarian wrote on Twitter.

They include Karo, a 10-year-old Karabakh Armenian boy suffering from multiple 
illnesses. According to his mother, Narine Danielian, Karo was due to be 
transported to Armenia for urgent medical treatment on May 2 along with four 
other children.

“Every minute is really critical for their life,” said Danielian.

Azerbaijan claims that its checkpoint was set up to stop the transfer of weapons 
from Armenia to Karabakh.

The Armenian side has strongly denied any arms supplies and accused Baku of 
another gross violation of a Russian-brokered agreement that stopped the 2020 
Armenian-Azerbaijani war. Russia and the United States have also criticized 
Baku’s move.




Baku Also Reports Progress In Peace Talks With Yerevan


U.S. - US Secretary of State Sec Antony Blinken hosts talks between the Armenian 
and Azerbaijani foreign ministers, May 1, 2023.


Azerbaijan’s Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov said on Wednesday that he and his 
Armenian counterpart Ararat Mirzoyan made progress towards a peace treaty 
between their nations during four-day negotiations held outside Washington last 
week.

“It cannot be said that we fully reached an agreement as there are quite a lot 
of differences between the positions of the parties,” he told reporters. “But 
some points of the peace treaty were agreed upon in those negotiations. We took 
a step forward.”

Bayramov did not shed light on those points.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who attended the opening and closing 
sessions of the talks, likewise reported “tangible progress” made by Bayramov 
and Mirzoyan. A U.S. State Department spokesman, Vedant Patel, said on Monday 
that the two ministers “agreed in principle to certain terms” of the peace deal 
discussed by them.

“We believe that with additional goodwill and flexibility and compromise an 
agreement is within reach,” Patel said, echoing Blinken’s earlier comments.

The secretary of Armenia’s Security Council, Armen Grigorian, cautioned on 
Tuesday that the conflicting sides still disagree on key terms of the would-be 
treaty. He said those relate to Azerbaijani recognition of Armenia’s existing 
borders, an internationally supervised dialogue between Baku and Karabakh’s 
leadership as well as “international guarantees” for the sides’ compliance with 
their peace accord.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev 
are scheduled to meet in Brussels this Sunday in a bid to build on the apparent 
progress in the peace process.

Bayramov stressed the importance of the upcoming summit. He suggested that it 
could pave the way for a deal sought by Baku.

The Armenian Foreign Ministry told RFE/RL’s Armenian Service later on Wednesday 
that Bayramov and Mirzoyan will meet in Moscow on May 19 for further talks that 
will be hosted by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.


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.

Asbarez: Azerbaijan Bars Red Cross Patient Transfers from Artsakh

Vicken Chmshkian
by Asbarez Staff

 

 

 

in Armenia, Artsakh, Featured Main, Latest, News, Top Stories

The ICRC has been barred from transporting patients from Artsakh to Armenia


Azerbaijan has barred the International Committee of the Red Cross from transferring critically ill patients from Artsakh to Armenia, Artsakh’s Human Rights Defender Gegham Stepanyan said on Wednesday.

Stepanyan said Azerbaijan has been obstructing the ICRC transfer of patients from Artsakh since an illegal checkpoint was established on the already blockaded Lachin Corridor.

“After setting up a checkpoint, Azerbaijan has been obstructing the activities of the Red Cross in Artsakh in every possible way. For 11 days now, the ICRC has been unable to transport patients in critical health conditions to medical facilities in Armenia,” Stepanyan said in a social media post.

The ICRC told Armenpress that it has not facilitated transfer of patients from Nagorno Karabakh to Armenia since April 29 and is now discussing details pertaining to the format of its work with decision-makers from the parties involved.

“In regards to developments, the International Committee of the Red Cross is discussing with all decision-makers from the parties the details pertaining to the format of our work,” ICRC Armenia Communications and Prevention Manager Zara Amatuni said.

Amatuni explained that the process is confidential and the discussions are underway. She did not elaborate further on the discussions.

“It’s about the continuity of our humanitarian work. We hope it will be restored. However, there is some need for clarification, and now this process is taking place. During this period we are not implementing transfers because we must have clarity regarding several details with all parties involved,” Amatuni said.

ICRC unable to transfer Karabakh patients to Armenia for 11 days now

Ara Felekian
Armenia –
– 17:11 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net - The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has been unable to transfer patients from Nagorno-Karabakh to Armenia for 11 days now, head of communication programs at the ICRC’s delegation in Armenia Zara Amatuni has said, according to Sputnik Armenia.

Amatuni’s remarks came two weeks after Azerbaijan established a checkpoint on the road connecting Karabakh to Armenia.

Armenia said the checkpoint at the Hakari bridge in the Lachin corridor was a gross violation of the 2020 cease-fire agreement which ended a 2020 war.

Since December 12, the sole road connecting Nagorno Karabakh to Armenia – the Lachin Corridor – has been blocked by self-described Azerbaijani environmentalists, who have now replaced by the Azerbaijani military. Karabakh residents have reported food and fuel shortages, while hospital patients don't have access to essential medicines, with only a handful allowed transfer to facilities in Armenia proper.

Turkish Press: ​Azerbaijan says talks with Armenia in US moved ‘one step forward’

Meline Chalian
Turkey –

Azerbaijan says talks with Armenia in US moved ‘one step forward’


No final agreement but there was headway in negotiations, says Azerbaijani foreign minister


16:48 . 10/05/2023 Wednesday

Azerbaijan on Wednesday said the process of normalization of ties with Armenia moved “one step forward” in the US last week.


“Over the course of four days in Washington, we had rather intensive discussions around the peace treaty,” Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov told reporters in Baku.


Bayramov and his Armenian counterpart Ararat Mirzoyan took part in peace talks in the US capital between April 30 and May 3, with meetings at the White House and State Department.


In a statement after the sessions, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken had said, "both demonstrated a sincere commitment to normalizing relations and ending the long-standing conflict between their two countries," adding that "with additional goodwill, flexibility, and compromise, an agreement is within reach."


Despite not agreeing to a final deal, Bayramov said there was headway. “We've gone one step further. We must approach this process realistically … Azerbaijan constantly demonstrates commitment to the peace process,” he added.


“The approaches of the Azerbaijani side are unchanged and consistent: we are in favor of normalizing ties with Yerevan. Unfortunately, contradictory statements are heard from Armenia from time to time,” Bayramov said.


Commenting on the forthcoming meeting between Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan in Brussels on May 14, Bayramov said they will become an integral part of the normalization process.


Relations between the two former Soviet republics have been tense since 1991 when Armenia occupied Nagorno-Karabakh, a territory internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan, and seven adjacent regions.


Most of the territory was liberated by Baku during a war in the fall of 2020, which ended after a Russian-brokered peace agreement and also opened the door to normalization.


Tensions between the neighboring countries increased in recent months over the Lachin corridor, the only land route giving Armenia access to Karabakh.

Armenian Relief Society of Eastern USA Presents a Regional Seminar in Hackensack

Manouk Vasilian
TAP Into Hackenstack
By Casey Abline
Published at 2:33 PM
Last Updated at 2:33 PM

Hackensack, NJ – On Saturday, April 29, 2023, over 70 members and supporters of the Armenian Relief Society (ARS) of Eastern USA gathered at the Hackensack University Medical Center for its regional seminar. 

The ARS anthem was led by MaryAnne Bonjuklian, who then presented Caroline Chamavonian, chairman of the ARS of Eastern USA.

According to a press release distributed by the ARS, Chamavonian noted in her opening remarks that the last in-person seminar was held in 2019. Since then, however, she said the ARS “provided thousands of dollars worth of scholarships to young scholars. Our chapters worked in the community during the pandemic to support the elderly and thank our medical heroes. We extended our healing hands to our community members in Lebanon before and after the Beirut port explosion. We supported the work of the Central Executive Board in Artsakh and the work of our sister region in Syria.”

Cynthia Ruggerio, Esq., gave the first talk of the day on "Resonating Patterns of Cultural Destruction and Genocide." Ruggerio spoke about Lemkin's coining of the term "genocide" and the role of cultural destruction; recurring patterns from the past to the present; church destruction; the denialist narrative; the Artsakh blockade; and the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and international deficiencies.

Dr. Kim Hekimian, assistant professor of nutrition in pediatrics (gastroenterology, hepatology, and nutrition) at Columbia University Medical Center's Institute of Human Nutrition, lectured on "Women's Health in Armenia." Hekimian provided a lifetime view, emphasizing the intergenerational implications of malnutrition. She also reviewed the primary causes of death in recent years, with coronary heart disease ranking first.

A workshop on legislative procedures was presented by Seda Aghamianz, a member of the ARS of Eastern USA Regional Executive Board.  “The understanding of parliamentary procedures is essential during meetings to ensure that the decision-making process is fair, efficient and effective, allowing for the best possible outcomes for the meeting,” she explained.

The seminar concluded with a presentation on "Armenian Women's Rights and Roles Throughout History" by long standing ARS member Valentine Berberian and past ARS United Nations interns Taleen Nigdelian, Nory Boiatchian, Talar Hovsepian, and Arev Ebrimian on "Armenian Women's Rights and Roles Throughout History."

The Regional Board thanked all guests as well as the New Jersey "Agnouni," "Armenouhi," and "Shakeh" Chapters for their efforts in organizing the event.

Livingston Group Seeks to Boost Armenia’s Ties with US

Markos Nalchajian

The Livingston Group inked a two-month contract on May 4 with the National Democratic Alliance of Armenia, which aims to reduce Russian influence in Armenia and bolster its ties to the West.

Though a member of the Collective Security Treaty Organization with Russia, Belarus, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, Armenia voted for the UN resolution condemning Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.

Ties with the CSTO have become frayed after the organization failed to provide military support for Armenia in its long-running battle with Azerbaijan over a disputed border area.

Armenia and Azerbaijan have turned to France and the European Union to try to hammer out a peace treaty.

The firm of former Louisiana Republican Congressman and Speaker-designate Bob Livingston provides PR, lobbying, perception management services to the Alliance in order to raise its visibility in Washington.

TLG is to maintain contact with Members of Congress, Biden administration officials and think tank staffers.

Allen Martin, TLG’s managing partner; and Elias Gerasoulis, consultant, handle the Alliance’s business.

Armenians avenged genocide by assassinating its organizers in five countries

Anna Tamamian
May 9 2023
ByTeam Mighty
An exhibition dedicated to Operation Nemesis at the genocide museum in Yerevan, Armenia.

When Israel avenges the Holocaust or terrorist crimes against Jewish people, the world takes notice – and Israel wants them to. From the Nazi hunters led by Simon Wiesenthal and the abduction and extradition of Adolf Eichmann to Operation Wrath of God, the revenge killings against Arab terrorists for the 1972 Munich Massacre, Israel wants people to know crimes against Jewish people will not be tolerated.

Armenians, meanwhile, have been struggling for more than a century just to have the genocide against their people recognized as such by the international community. But whether the world recognized the genocide or not, Armenians were just as determined to get their revenge against the Turkish people who planned and organized it. They called theirs “Operation Nemesis.”

Nemesis is often defined as the inescapable agent of someone’s downfall. It was an appropriate name for Armenia’s retaliation against the perpetrators of the mass killings against the Armenian people in the middle of World War I.

In 1915, Turkey was part of and central to the dying Ottoman Empire. During World War I, the empire was aligned with the Central Powers, dominated by Germany and Austria-Hungary. At the turn of the 20th century, the Ottomans lost a series of wars, which meant they lost territory, power, and prestige, and rulers began to worry the significant Armenian population would declare independence.

ARF congress who started Operation Nemesis against Armenian genocide.

In the years before, mass killings of Armenians were sporadic, but in 1915, the Ottoman Empire arrested, imprisoned, and deported hundreds of thousands of Armenians from the Empire. As many as 1.2 million were forced to march out of Turkey and wander into the Syrian desert. They were starved, thrown into concentration camps, forcibly converted to Islam, or just outright murdered by Turkish nationalists.

The number of Armenian dead in the ethnic cleansing during and after the First World War is estimated to be as high as 1.5 million, and today only some 34 countries and a handful of civilian and religious organizations have officially recognized the killings as a genocide. But Armenians knew it from the start.

In March 1921, Talaat Pasha, who was the Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Empire during the genocide, left his home in Berlin. He never returned. An Armenian man named Soghomon Tehlirian walked up behind him, put a gun to the back of his left ear, and pulled the trigger. It was Talaat’s orders to round up 200 leaders of Armenians inside the empire that started the genocide in earnest.

The front page of the Ottoman newspaper İkdam on 4 November 1918 after the Three Pashas fled the country following World War I. Showing left to right: Djemal Pasha, Talaat Pasha, and Enver Pasha.

Talaat wasn’t the first victim of Operation Nemesis, but he was the most wanted target – and he wasn’t the last. Named for the Greek goddess of divine retribution, Nemesis was an operation designed to assassinate the planners and perpetrators of not just the Armenian Genocide, but also the slaughter of tens of thousands of Armenians in Baku (in Azerbaijan). They were specifically targeting members of the CUP (also known as the Young Turks) who betrayed the Armenians and tried to wipe them out.

The first to fall to Nemesis was the first Prime Minister of Azerbaijan, Fatali Khan Khoyski, assassinated in Tbilisi, Georgia. Talaat Pasha was second. In Germany, Italy, the Soviet Union and in Constantinople, capital of the Ottoman Empire, the genocide’s perpetrators fell one-by-one. The last assassination was Minister of the Navy Djemal Pasha in 1922.

More than 100 years after the final assassination of Operation Nemesis, Armenia unveiled a monument to the assassins in its capital city of Yerevan. Turkey and Azerbaijan immediately condemned the construction of the memorial, a tribute to just how hard the memory of the genocide lives on.

https://www.wearethemighty.com/history/armenian-genocide-operation-nemesis/