Weekly update
22 May
Azerbaijan is utilizing gravestones from Armenian cemeteries as building material, particularly for the building of new roads, according to the Minister of Foreign Affairs for the Republic of Artsakh, David Babayan. In line with persecution.org, Azerbaijan continues to deface and destroy Armenian Christian heritage sites, including cemeteries and churches, as they seek to eradicate evidence of their culture and identity. Cemeteries in Hadrut have been destroyed, as seen by satellite images. Babayan commented saying, “This is another manifestation of cultural genocide; barbarism with a political purpose. They are not only completely destroying the Armenian trace, but they are also using it for economic purposes. By building such infrastructures, the Azerbaijanis make it much more difficult to restore it in the future. This is a gross violation of international and moral norms.”
https://www.persecution.org/2021/05/22/azerbaijan-uses-armenian-gravestones-build-roads/
21 May
Azerbaijani forces continued to provoke violence against Armenians during three separate incidents on Thursday by firing shots at a civilian and a group of soldiers in Artsakh, discharging weapons in the Kut village in Armenia’s Gegharkunik Province and instigating a brawl near the Sev Lidj region of Syunik. According to asbarez.com, near the Sev Lidj (Black Lake) region of Armenia’s Syunik Province, which has become the epicenter of a more than a week-long standoff at the border, Azerbaijani forces instigated a brawl with local Armenian residents that resulted in 11 people being injured. Syunik Governor Melikset Poghosyan said that about three dozen Azerbaijani soldiers advanced on Thursday toward the Armenian village of Khoznavar located just east of that Sev Lidj area. Khoznavar residents confirmed the information to Azatutyun.am, adding that children and elderly persons living in the village were evacuated for security reasons.
http://asbarez.com/202651/azeris-instigate-brawl-in-syunik-fire-shots-at-armenians-in-artsakh-and-gegharkunik/?fbclid=IwAR12jDehy-_7Bs9sSkFMgcpTm1RpE_90zf4Z39VdKc5Ys0EgJ_T9cysDF7I
20 May
On May 19, Mikayel Minasyan, Armenia’s former ambassador to Vatican City and a vocal critique of acting PM Nikol Pashinyan and his administration, published a document claiming that Pashinyan will sign a new agreement with the Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Russian President Vladimir Putin, reads evnreport.com. Although most of the document was redacted, Minasyan presented the four main points of the agreement in a Facebook post: 1. A commission will be set up that will be tasked to determine the rules for the new and final demarcation of the state border between Armenia and Azerbaijan. 2. The demarcation process will be carried out based on three principles, including Soviet maps, expedient geographic considerations and the situation at the time. According to Minasyan, this will have very unfavorable consequences for Armenia, since Azerbaijan will be the one deciding which principle is applied. 3. The handover of five villages of Tavush region and one village of Ararat region was put on discussion by Pashinyan. 4. The document regulating the final demarcation works will be prepared and agreed on by June 30.
https://www.evnreport.com/politics/azerbaijani-troops-remain-on-armenian-territory-a-nine-day-timeline
19 May
National security has dominated the rhetoric in the campaign so far, though the opposition has not been very specific on how it would tackle the country’s daunting challenges. The last time Armenians went to the polls, in 2018, they were voting optimistically, reports eurasianet.org. Following Nikol Pashinyan’s successful toppling of the old regime via street protests, voters gave him an overwhelming mandate for what promised to be a future of growing prosperity, rule of law and a defeat of corruption, and reducing the country’s dependence on Russia. Now, though, the picture is far more pessimistic. Voters will head to the polls on June 20, in snap elections called amid a political crisis stemming from the country’s defeat in last year’s war with Azerbaijan. This time, the country is in survival mode and national security is dominating the campaign. The opposition is making promises that it will better be able to stand up for Armenia’s interests against a still-aggressive Baku, while Pashinyan and his ruling party are on the defensive and forced to make excuses for the defeat in the war last year.
https://eurasianet.org/in-armenian-elections-karabakh-is-on-the-ballot
18 May
The Government of the Republic of Armenia has submitted an Inter-State Application against Turkey with the European Court of Human Rights. According to armradio.am, the case concerns the respondent State’s role in the recent armed hostilities between Armenian and Azerbaijani forces, which took place between 27 September and 10 November 2020 (the date of entry into force of a ceasefire agreement).The Armenian Government claims that during the 44-day war Turkey violated the right to life, prohibition of torture and inhuman treatment, the right to liberty, the right to property, the right to personal and family life, as well as a number of other Convention rights of the population of Artsakh and Armenia.The Government has submitted extensive evidence with regard to the recruitment and transfer of Syrian mercenaries by Turkey to the Republic of Azerbaijan, evidence regarding the supply of military equipment, weapons and ammunition to the Azerbaijani army, as well as other evidence on its involvement to the war.
https://en.armradio.am/2021/05/18/armenia-submits-inter-state-application-against-turkey/
17 May
In an unprecedented move, Armenia’s first, second, and third presidents, Levon Ter-Petrossian, Robert Kocharyan, and Serzh Sargsyan, respectively, have announced their participation in the June 20 snap parliamentary elections. According to civilnet.am, on Sunday, first President Ter-Petrossian said he would lead the election list of the Armenian National Congress Party. Second President Kocharyan announced earlier that he would lead the Armenia Alliance, represented by the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (Dashnaktsutyun) and the newly created Armenian Renaissance party. Kocharyan himself is not a member of any political party. Armenia’s third President Serzh Sargsyan’s Republican Party has formed an alliance with the Homeland Party, led by former head of National Security Service Artur Vanetsyan. Sargsyan and his party were ousted as a result of the 2018 revolution. Acting Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan will lead his Civil Contract Party without any alliances. Currently, his parliamentary My Step Alliance consists of the Civil Contract Party in coalition with the smaller Mission Party.
https://www.civilnet.am/news/607661/all-armenias-former-presidents-set-to-run-in-unprecedented-election/?lang=en
16 May
Long-term planning, pragmatism, decisive and persistent actions – this is how the Future Armenian initiative intends to organize its work and build a new Armenia. According to jam-news.net, the authors of the project believe that in order to achieve this, it will first be necessary to form mutual understanding among Armenians all over the world on the issue of how the country should develop and start talking about how to save the state. Who are the founders of Future Armenian, what are their goals, and how do they intend to achieve them? The co-founders of the initiative are Richard Azarnia (France), Artur Alaverdyan (Armenia), Noubar Afeyan (USA), and Ruben Vardanyan (Russia). All four are successful businessmen, also known in Armenia as generous benefactors. The four men came up with an initiative based on the problems facing Armenia, which worsened in 2020, after the war in Karabakh. Anyone who shares the ideas and approaches of the authors can participate in the initiative and 380 people have already joined. The co-founders are convinced that this difficult period offers a unique opportunity to create a new model of Armenia, and, in order to achieve it, co-founders of the Future Armenian have already come up with 15 goals.
https://jam-news.net/the-future-armenian-an-action-plan-to-rebuild-the-country/
15 May
Congressman Ted W. Lieu (D-Los Angeles County) issued the following statement that Azeri military moved onto Armenian territory, reports armradio.am. “I am alarmed by reports of Azerbaijan‘s military encroachment on Armenian territory in the region of Lake Sev. If the reports are true, Azerbaijan’s operation would represent a violation of both Armenia‘s sovereignty and international law. I call on Azerbaijan to withdraw immediately and put an end to hostile actions that undermine the goal of peaceful dialogue and negotiation.” On May 12 Azerbaijan’s armed forces crossed the state border of the Republic of Armenia and advanced 3.5 kilometers in Sev Lich (Black Lake) section in Syunik province in an attempt to surround and siege the lake. On Thursday the Ministry of Defense reported provocations in the Vardenis and Sisisan sections. Armenia’s acting Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said on Friday that Azerbaijan had failed to fulfill a promise in full to withdraw troops that had crossed the border. He appealed to Russian President Vladimir Putin for military assistance.
https://en.armradio.am/2021/05/15/azerbaijans-operation-a-violation-of-both-armenias-sovereignty-and-international-law-rep-ted-lieu/
Sources: persecution.org, asbarez.com, evnreport.com, eurasianet.org, armradio.am, civilnet.am, jam-news.net.