Weekly update
26 December
According to panorama.am Turkish military has left for Azerbaijan to serve at the joint center with Russia for monitoring the ceasefire in Nagorno-Karabakh, TASS news agency reported, siting NTV ness channel. The two countries concluded an agreement to set up joint center for Nagorno-Karabakh on December 1. The Turkish parliament later voted to deploy a mission to "establish a joint center with Russia and to carry out the center's activities." The deployment is set to last a year and its size will be determined by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
25 December
The right of peoples to self-determination is the cornerstone of peace negotiations, Armenian Foreign Minister Ara Aivazian said in an interview with le Monde. According to armradio.am he goes on to say that Armenia did not recognize the independence of Artsakh just to give an opportunity to reach a settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict through negotiations, “Some people are mistaken today, thinking that the issue of Artsakh’s status has been removed from the agenda by the use of military force,” Minister Aivazian added.In this regard, he said the Minsk Group Co-Chairs have reaffirmed that the issue of Artsakh’s status will continue to be on the agenda of the talks.“In case of disagreement of Azerbaijan on the issue, Armenia will consider recognizing the Artsakh Republic,” the Foreign Minister said.
24 December
Human rights groups say hundreds of videos showing atrocities by troops have been posted online in the month since a cease-fire deal halted the fighting over Nagorno-Karabakh, said Washington Post. Amnesty International has verified 22 videos but stressed that they are not representative of the hundreds circulating on social media. Among the crimes, the organization identified two beheadings of Armenians. Armenian lawyer Siranush Sahakyan identified the two slain men from the flood of videos depicting extrajudicial killings, beatings and other mistreatment of prisoners, and the desecration of bodies. Many of the videos have surfaced on Telegram channels since the cease-fire. According to her, more than 60 videos show violations of the rights of Armenians.
23 December
Around 40,000 people of Artsakh have been left homeless due to the Azerbaijani occupation of the Artsakh territories during the hostilities in the wake of the recent war, outgoing Artsakh Ombudsman Artak Beglaryan told a news conference, elaborating on the primary issues that require urgent solutions. As reported by panorama.am, he first called attention to security issues. “The National Security Service and police must take all possible measures to reduce security risks and fill the gaps." According to Beglaryan, the second problem is that there are many people left homeless. "They need to be provided with housing and psychological support. The problem of temporary housing still needs to be resolved, and those people will be provided with apartments under the long-term program," he said. Artak Beglaryan assured that although he is leaving the post of ombudsman, he will continue to defend human rights. He noted that he will deal with various tasks in the executive branch.
22 December
In line with news.am the presence of militants from the Middle East during the hostilities in Nagorno-Karabakh is a recorded fact, and it has been confirmed not only by them. This is what Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation Oleg Siromolotov said in an interview with RIA Novosti. According to him, there were nearly 2,000 mercenaries. “Russia had initially expressed concern when there were radical jihadist mercenaries in Nagorno-Karabakh. Our position on them remains unchanged, that is, they shouldn’t be there.”
21 December
Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Russian peacekeepers, at the risk of their own lives, are guaranteeing security in Karabakh according to the November 9 ceasefire agreement, reported hetq. Putin, at an expanded meeting of the Russian Defense Ministry Board, said that the peacekeepers face a complex mission in the region. He said that the peacekeepers are working to improve the humanitarian situation and help refugees, to clear land mines and restore social infrastructure, to preserve cultural, historical and religious monuments. Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said that the peacekeepers have not allowed a single serious ceasefire violation in the region and that the safe movement of civil transport along the Lachin corridor has been ensured.
20 December
A month has passed since the trilateral ceasefire agreement signed between Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Russia, which effectively ended the Nagorno Karabakh War and granted large amounts of territory inside and around Karabkah to Azerbaijan. According to Civilnet Armenian President Armen Sarkissian requested Russian President Vladimir Putin to assist in the demarcation of new border lines between Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Artsakh. This issue of the new borders remains a concern as no clear line of demarcation exists between many areas. The border situation thus remains unclear as Azerbaijani troops are actively moving into Armenia’s unmarked borders in the southern region of Syunik. It seems Azerbaijan is attempting to take advantage of the uncertain border situation and take as much land as possible.
19 December
The Human Rights Defenders of Armenia and Artsakh have released a joint ad hoc report on Azerbaijani attacks on journalists who were covering the Nagorno Karabakh war, reported Armenpress. Since the beginning (27 September, 2020) by the end (10 November, 2020) of the hostilities, over 390 foreign journalists from over 190 media have flown into Artsakh to cover the war and the consequent developments. The flow of journalists to Artsakh has been considerably increased following the Azerbaijani authorities’ decision to limit the arrival of journalists from several countries, to impose strict restrictions on the independent work of the journalists. For example, journalists from the Russian media outlet Lifenews were deported from Azerbaijan, since according to Azerbaijani authorities, they were distorting the facts. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Artsakh stated that it has information about special groups that have been formed by Azerbaijan to monitor the movement and activities of foreign journalists in Artsakh, to deliver target attacks. In parallel with that, the Azerbaijani armed forces for a few times targeted journalists working in Artsakh and caused 7 heavy injuries among them and a death of a person accompanying journalists.
Sources: www.panorama.am; www.en.armradio.am; www.washingtonpost.com; www.news.am; www.hetq.am; www.civilnet.am; www.armenpress.am.