Rahim Shaliyev @rahimsaliyev

Dear Armenians, growing up in Azerbaijan as a Talysh has taught me a lot. They will try to convince you that you are powerless, that no one will help you, and that you will be alone forever. They will try to create deep despair in you.

Remember one thing: If they have money, we have truths. And the truth is that we never ever chose to be slaves to evil regimes. Because we are sons of Liberty! We are daughters of Liberty! I don’t care what Turkey, Russia, Israel want. I don’t care about how they are powerful. I know only one thing: Their power is no greater than our truth and faith.

USAID Administrator Samantha Power has arrived in Yerevan, Armenia. She reported this on her X (former Twitter) microblog.

“Wheels down in Yerevan, Armenia. At this important moment for the country and region, I’m here to reiterate the U.S.’s strong support & partnership with Armenia and to speak directly with those impacted by the humanitarian crisis in Nagorno-Karabakh,” she wrote.

Earlier, NEWS.am reported that senior Biden administration officials are scheduled to visit Armenia, with their arrival expected on Monday. Among the visiting officials are US Agency for International Development chief Samantha Power and US State Department Acting Assistant Secretary for Europe and Eurasian Affairs Yuri Kim.

During her visit, Samantha Power is set to hold meetings with senior government figures and will “affirm US support for Armenia’s democracy, sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity and commitment to address humanitarian needs stemming from Nagorno-Karabakh,” according to the official statement.

Search operations for servicemen and civilians who died and for those who are considered missing since the military operations have been ongoing in the entire territory of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) since September 21, reports the Artsakh State Service for Emergency Situations.

On September 21, the dead body of a civilian was found in Stepanakert, the capital of Artsakh.

On September 22, a wounded serviceman was found and evacuated from Ghaybalishen village of Shushi region, and the body of two fallen servicemen in Charektar village.

On September 23, a total of 68 dead bodies were retrieved, four of which were civilians—two children and an elderly couple—from Sarnaghbyur village of Askeran region.

On the same day, two persons were found in Nakhijevanik and Sarushen villages; their lives are not in danger.

And on September 24, a total of 34 dead bodies were retrieved, and three civilians were found in Shosh village of Askeran region.

Paul Antonopoulos,

The Armenian nation is facing an existential crisis and as events in Yerevan show, the Armenian people are more divided than ever.

It’s not my place to judge whether the protests are correct or not, but I must ask the question: as the protests continue and with Pashinyan determined to hold power, who is digging trenches and tunnels in Vayots Dzor, Syunik, Gegharkunik, and Ararat, especially as parts of some of these regions are already occupied by Azerbaijan? Who is hiding weapon caches and mining key areas? Who is preparing local defense forces to become potential guerrillas?

This will not stop with Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh), even if there is a temporary “reprieve”. Aliyev waited three years before taking the next step in Nagorno-Karabakh and can wait several years more before launching the “West Azerbaijan” project, which has already entered mainstream Azerbaijani discourse and consciousness. Or he could take this opportune moment of the Armenian division to seize more land and finally connect the detached Nakhichevan province with Azerbaijan proper. Either way, Armenia is in immediate danger and nothing is being done to prepare sufficient defenses. You don’t need to listen to me, listen to your own martyrs: “If we lose Karabakh, we will turn the final page of Armenian history,” Monte Melkonian. Protest if you must, but also get to work, a lot needs to be done and only the Azeris know how much time you have.

Azerbaijan has a history of resorting to dirty tricks and falsehoods to advance its unjust goals. In this article, we will shed light on the pattern of deceit that has become a troubling tradition for Azerbaijan. While achieving justice seldom requires dishonesty, Azerbaijan seems to think otherwise.

By Ararat Petrosyan, Deputy Editor in Chief of Armenpress

We will examine recent events, specifically the wars of September 27, 2020, and September 19, 2023, to expose the false pretexts behind military operations in Artsakh and the aggression against civilian populations.

The Deception of September 27, 2020:

On September 27, 2020, Azerbaijan blatantly disregarded the peaceful negotiation process and the stance of international mediators, who had repeatedly emphasised that there was no military solution to the Karabakh conflict.

Azerbaijan launched an offensive across the entire Artsakh military front. Simultaneously, live footage from the frontlines flooded the airwaves, courtesy of Turkish and Azerbaijani journalists representing major television stations and news agencies.

The information disseminated painted a picture of the Armenian side shelling Azerbaijani border settlements, leading to Azerbaijan’s military response. However, how can we explain the presence of a significant gathering of Turkish and Azerbaijani journalists on the Jabrail steppes early in the morning?

Did they miraculously foresee that the Artsakh Defense Ministry would initiate operations against Azerbaijani settlements? Of course not; this was a premeditated act of deception.

In fact, President Ilham Aliyev later confessed multiple times that Azerbaijan had initiated the war by violating the ceasefire regime.

The Deception of September 19, 2023:

Fast forward to September 19, 2023, and the Azerbaijani press was quick to report a tragic incident involving a group of policemen.

According to their narrative, these officers fell victim to a traffic accident, and shortly thereafter, another group of policemen allegedly perished due to a landmine planted by “Armenian saboteurs.” Azerbaijani media wasted no time disseminating images of the victims and the incident site.

However, a closer examination of one of these images reveals a sign intended for Azerbaijani deminers. It becomes evident that the incident occurred within a demining area, suggesting that this was a planned provocation.

It is inconceivable that Armenian saboteurs would plant a mine in a known minefield, especially considering this area was 12-13 kilometres from the contact line. Moreover, in the context of prevailing geopolitical developments, the Artsakh Defense Army had no intention of escalating the situation.

The Dangerous Path:

Azerbaijan’s attempts to cover up its actions under the guise of territorial integrity are deeply concerning. This dangerous approach to problem-solving may one day target not only the military but also innocent civilians.

One cannot help but wonder: What’s to stop Azerbaijan from claiming that Armenian women or children attacked its army? While it may seem absurd, Azerbaijan’s track record is riddled with absurdities.

Addressing Azerbaijan’s deceptive and aggressive behaviour requires strict measures, clear condemnation, international community involvement, and accountability.

These steps are essential to curb the insidious tactics employed by Azerbaijan and to ensure a safer, more stable future for the region.

Emily Schrader Writer. Speaker. Feminist. Israeli. Journalist, write on Twitter X @emilykschrader

Let’s talk about Azeri lobbying in Israel. I spent a long time not talking about this because I felt so much pressure as a journalist in Israel but I don’t want to be silent about this. Azerbaijan has heavily invested in lobbying in Israel at a government and PR level.

They even have a fancy tourist center set up on the beach in Tel Aviv. This is a known tactic of Aliyev, who is an anti-democratic dictator as much as he “supports” Israel. One of the most unpleasant tactics I’ve seen is their buying off of journalists, public figures, and the media. I have personally witnessed utterly false claims being made both in private and public to the Israeli media by the Azeri lobby, which also pressures and harasses Israeli journalists when it comes to speaking out about Armenia. This is not the behavior of an “ally” and certainly not of a democratic nation that respects free press. As a journalist myself, I’ve been invited on “educational tours” sponsored by the Azeri government more than once (which I refused). Many of my peers have both been invited and have gone themselves. I know of cases in which “important people” were literally given gifts of gold Jewellery by the Azeri government during their visit. This is their strategic approach, buttering up key journalists and public figures and bombarding them with false information. Azerbaijan has an aggressive global political agenda and spends an incredible amount of money lobbying Israel (and others) to promote it — money that Armenia simply doesn’t have. In another example, the Azeri lobby in Israel was behind the effort to essentially trick over 30 MKs into signing a letter supporting separatism in Iran in the Azeri provinces. Once I exposed this, more than 25 of them rescinded their signatures. This is emblematic of the Azeri lobby: dishonest, deceptive and loaded with money. But Azerbaijan, there are some people you can’t buy. For months, the Azeri regime has been promoting a completely false and fabricated narrative that the Azeris are Israel in this scenario with Armenia and they’re just “defending themselves” against “terrorists.” This is rooted in pan-Turkic ideology that seeks the complete destruction of the first Christian nation in the world (Armenia).

This is a blatant lie used justify ethnic cleansing from the disputed territory of #NagornoKarabakh, an area of 120,000 ethnic Armenians, historically Armenian for thousands of years, that’s surrounded by Azeris. This territory is surrounded by Azerbaijan because of how the Soviets drew the boundaries after the fall of the USSR.

Azerbaijan has launched multiple wars and a blockade to drive our Armenians from their land, and they are much more powerful thanks to Israeli weapons. After the 2020 war, despite the risks, Armenia offered to give up territorial claims in exchange for the guarantee that the Armenians in the territory will be protected — as Azerbaijan has previously committed massacres and ethnic cleansing of Armenian cities. In Nakhichevan, another territory that was historically Armenian but drawn into modern Azerbaijan’s borders, the Azeris destroyed 98% of the historical and religious sites of Armenians, attempting to erase their connection to the land, after a shameful campaign of ethnic cleansing. Instead of agreeing to protect the human rights of Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh today, Azerbaijan launched another war against Armenians including attacking civilian targets. This comes after months of incitement to violence and dehumanization of Armenians by the Azeri government and media. If you see Israelis “supporting” Azerbaijan, just know that it’s the result of an ugly, organized, premeditated lobbying campaign of Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan does NOT have shared values with the state of Israel, it is NOT a democracy — it’s a dictatorship, and dictatorships are not true allies.

As the citizens’ spontaneous acts of disobedience in Yerevan persist in response to the situation in Artsakh, an increasing number of educational institutions and companies are declaring strikes.

The list of participating educational institutions continues to grow. Currently, students from various schools, including Yerevan State University, Brusov State University, Armenian State Pedagogical University, French University in Armenia, Yerevan State Medical University, Yerevan State Institute of Theatre and Cinematography, European University of Armenia, Komitas State Conservatory of Yerevan, The Armenian State University of Economics, and Yerevan Regional State College N1, have joined the strike.

YSU lecturer Rubina Petrosyan has also joined the strike. Expressing unwavering support to the students, she emphasized, “There is nothing more important than our homeland and statehood.”

Anna Hekekyan, a lecturer at the Theater School, also urged for a strike.

Some students from School No. 29 and PhysMath School have gone on strike as well.

Several companies have also joined the strike. For example, “Anriva Tour” has declared its participation, citing solidarity with their compatriots in Artsakh during these challenging times. HAYAT restaurant & music hall, along with Hayat Project, have also announced their participation.

It is important to note that despite the police’s use of brutal force, citizens in Yerevan continue their acts of disobedience, blocking streets, and chanting slogans such as “Artsakh” and “Nikol, traitor.” The police have been arresting protesters forcefully, often using excessive tactics, even after they have been placed in vehicles. This has resulted in injuries to many citizens during the detentions.

Since this morning, numerous opposition activists have been carrying out actions of civil disobedience in the Armenian capital.

Large-scale protests have started in Yerevan amid the latest Azerbaijani military aggression unleashed against Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) on Tuesday. People demand an answer from the Armenian authorities for their inaction in the Artsakh issue.

Everyone emphasizes that there is genocide in Artsakh today, and therefore immediate action must be taken.