Baku is attempting to assert sovereignty through force and ethnic cleansing while denying Armenians the right to self-determination. 

By Alex Galitsky, the communications director of the Armenian National Committee of America’s Western Region. 

In a recent Foreign Policy article, Robert M. Cutler argued Azerbaijan’s military assault on Nagorno-Karabakh last year achieved what the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe’s (OSCE) Minsk Group couldn’t achieve after decades of ill-fated negotiations. Although Cutler is right to critique the Minsk Group’s inability to produce results, to suggest Azerbaijan’s so-called “military solution” has improved the prospects of long-term peace is a disturbing and dishonest proposition.

For the Armenian people, Azerbaijan’s military victory last November merely marked a new phase of suffering and persecution. Up to 100,000 Armenians were displaced as a result of fighting that saw Azerbaijan target civilian infrastructure, including homes, schools, hospitals, and cultural sites. Hundreds of prisoners of war and civilian captives still remain in illegal detention, where they have been subjected to torture, and an ongoing state-sanctioned campaign of cultural destruction has placed ancient Armenian heritage at risk.

This was the very outcome multilateral diplomacy sought to avoid—and the reason why Cutler’s expectation that “real peace and reconciliation” can proceed from this point is entirely unrealistic.

Although Cutler perversely attributes the failure of the OSCE Minsk Group to Armenia’s intransigence, its real weakness was its inability to compel Azerbaijan to address the root of the conflict: the status of Nagorno-Karabakh. Cutler dismisses the issue by endorsing Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev’s claim that Azerbaijan’s military victory has made a status determination process for Nagorno-Karabakh’s Armenians redundant. In doing so, not only does Cutler legitimize Baku’s recourse to ethnic cleansing as a means of “resolving” the issue of status, but he grossly mischaracterizes the nature of the conflict.

by KOSTA PAPADOPOULOS,

The President of the Republic of Cyprus, Mr Nikos Anastasiadis, honoured   US Senator and Chairman of the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Robert Menendez, with the  Grand Cross of the Order of the Blessed Sacrament on Monday night.

President Anastasiadis stressed that throughout his career Senator Menendez has demanded the withdrawal of Turkish troops from Cyprus and the restoration of the human rights and fundamental freedoms of all Cypriots, through a viable and lasting solution to the Cyprus problem, according to the relevant UN resolutions and EU principles and values.

During his acceptance speech the US Senator stressed that he was particularly honored to be awarded the medal, and said he was proud to be a friend of Cyprus adding that the  threats against the sovereignty of the Republic of Cyprus remain significant, referring to the efforts of the Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, for the division of Cyprus.

“It is wrong, it is bad for all Cypriots and it is bad for the region,” Mr Menendez said.
My goal, he said, is to see the last Turkish soldier leave Cyprus.

President  Anastasiadis praised Mr. Menendez for  his  significant contribution to the promotion of human rights, the rule of law and democracy around the world.

The award ceremony took place during at the Presidential Palace, which was attended by, among others, the Archbishop of Cyprus Chrysostomos II, the Speaker of Parliament, Annita Dimitriou, current and former members of the Council of Ministers, members of the diplomatic corps, government officials and party officials.
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oday marks the International Day of the Disappeared to commemorate hundreds of thousands of people who are missing around the world as a result of armed conflicts, violence, migration and natural disasters. The International Committee of the Red Cross has issued a press release on this. https://www.facebook.com/v3.2/plugins/quote.php?app_id=468673766529308&channel=https%3A%2F%2Fstaticxx.facebook.com%2Fx%2Fconnect%2Fxd_arbiter%2F%3Fversion%3D46%23cb%3Df1bcdf6ac71259c%26domain%3Dhetq.am%26is_canvas%3Dfalse%26origin%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Fhetq.am%252Ff19ca29b2deb746%26relation%3Dparent.parent&container_width=930&href=https%3A%2F%2Fhetq.am%2Fen%2Farticle%2F135110&locale=en_US&sdk=joey

We stand by families of missing persons and remember their missing relatives together with them.

In the region, thousands of people are missing in relation to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Many thousands more live with the agony of not knowing the fate of their loved ones. The constant uncertainty they live in often leads to emotional exhaustion and leaves lasting wounds. Not knowing what happened to a parent, spouse or child, places an intolerable burden on these families. They live in limbo, unable to mourn, between endless hope and despair.

“I don’t know where he is and whether he is alive or not”, says Haykanush Manukyan whose son went missing in connection with the autumn 2020 escalation of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. “I ask all organizations, everyone – if you can help with anything or find any information, please don’t stand still, do something”.

The ICRC engages with relevant authorities to support their efforts to clarify the fate of the missing persons and provide answers to the families. Across the region, we collaborate with concerned government institutions offering our technical expertise and through our delegation in Armenia, share our experience from other contexts in the world to aid the efforts of the Armenian authorities.

“We want the families of missing persons to know that their loved ones are not forgotten. They are not alone. And we will continue supporting States to do everything in their power to provide answers to the families, thereby upholding the families’ right to know” said Robert Mardini, the ICRC Director General.

Source: https://hetq.am/en/article/135110

A Divine Liturgy was served Sunday at the Holy Trinity Armenian Church in Malatya, Turkey, for the first time since 1915.

The Divine Liturgy was presided over by Archbishop Sahag II Mashalian, the Armenian Patriarch of Constantinople, Armenian News-NEWS.am has learned from the Facebook page of the Armenian Patriarchate of Constantinople.

MOSUL, Iraq – Iraqi shopkeeper Ahmad Riad is busy again serving customers at a Mosul market four years after the city was destroyed in battles against jihadists, but he still awaits war reparations.

“Life has gradually resumed,” said Riad, who runs a shop selling rice, pasta and tins of tomato paste in the Corniche market, along the banks of the Tigris river.

“But we have not received any compensation from the government.”

Mosul, the country’s second city in Nineveh province, was the last major Iraqi bastion of the Islamic State group’s failed “caliphate” between 2014 and 2017.

The city was retaken by the Iraqi army and a US-led coalition after intense bombardment and fighting that left it in ruins.

The market was “devastated” in the battles, Riad said, with shopkeepers using their limited savings to rebuild.

“We are the ones who paid,” he said.

Of the 400 stalls that once crammed the market, just a tenth have returned to business, he added.

According to official sources, the cost of reconstruction for Nineveh would top $100 billion, a staggering sum for a country mired in an economic crisis.

It outstrips the total annual budget of oil-rich Iraq, which stands at nearly $90 billion in 2021.

Many buildings are still in ruins, their facades dotted with bullet holes and piles of rubble lie strewn all around.

100,000 claims, 2,600 paid 

When Pope Francis visited Mosul in March, he held a mass with the partially collapsed walls of the centuries-old church behind him.

On Sunday, French President Emmanuel Macron is expected to visit Mosul, a day after attending a regional summit in the Iraqi capital Baghdad, some 355 kilometres to the south.

Mosul, capital of Nineveh province, is a melting pot of diverse ethnic communities and was once one of the key cities on the Middle East trade route, lying close to both Turkey and Syria.

Ammar Hussein runs a restaurant. 

“The government should compensate the merchants who suffered damage so that they can rebuild their stores and the market can return to its former glory,” he said.

The list of claims is long.

Some 100,000 claims have been filed by those who suffered damage during “liberation operations,” according to Mahmud al-Akla, director of Nineveh’s compensation department.

Not even three percent have been paid: while more than 65,000 files have been examined, just 2,600 claimants have received cash, he said.

On top of that, the centralised nature of the Iraqi state – and the graft-riddled bureaucracy that governs it – means that disbursements are paid out extremely slowly.

Mosul district chairman Zuhair al-Araji blames officials in Baghdad.

Promises as elections approach 

Progress is patchy.

While 80 percent of basic infrastructure such as sewers and roads have been restored, only around a third of health facilities have been rebuilt, according to Araji.

Mosul resident Saad Ghanem filed a claim for his destroyed home.

“As far as I know, the compensation department in Nineveh finalised the transaction and then submitted it to the government in Baghdad,” he said. 

“They still have not compensated us.”

Mosul, a Sunni Muslim city, did not take part in October 2019 popular protests decrying corruption and government misuse of power in Baghdad, as well as much of the country’s Shiite south.

Residents said they feared the benefit of reconstruction could be wiped out by the unrest.

With parliamentary elections in two months, the slow pace of reconstruction prompted Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi to visit earlier this month.

Kadhimi said he was “sorry” to see the problems, ordering a committee to draw up an “action plan.”

At his wooden furniture store, carpenter Ali Mahmoud said he is exhausted.

“I hope to rebuild my workshop, which was my livelihood, and return here,” he said. “But I don’t have enough money.”

Garo Armenian,

Garo Armenian write on His Facebook: The Office of the High Commissioner for Diaspora Affairs has just issued the following call for action:”On September 27, 2020, at the height of the global COVID-19 pandemic, Azerbaijan – backed by Turkey – launched an unprovoked military attack against the peaceful population of the Republic of Artsakh.After 44 days of fighting and countless lives lost, Armenia and Azerbaijan signed a Russian-brokered ceasefire statement on November 9, 2020 agreeing to cease hostilities, which left thousands of Artsakh families homeless and broken.

Despite Section 8 of the ceasefire agreement stating that “the Parties shall exchange prisoners of war, hostages and other detained persons, and dead bodies,” 243 Armenian civilians and combat personnel remain missing, many still imprisoned by Azerbaijan and held in inhumane conditions and tortured.August 30th marks the International Day of the Disappeared, drawing attention to those who have been imprisoned without their friends or relatives knowing where they are. On August 30th let’s raise awareness of Azerbaijan’s continued human rights violations and demand the immediate and unconditional release of all prisoners of war held captive by Azerbaijan.

“The expectation is that the Diaspora should give an overwhelming welcome to a statement of this sort and commend the Commissioner and his government for such an initiative. In the present circumstances, however, one has hard time to even read this HS. Don’t they realize that this whole mentality is an insult to our people. It is an insult to our POW’s and their families who have been going through the ordeal of captivity at the hands of Azerbaijani torturers.This government mishandled royally the POW exchange process in the first place by turning over the POW’s captured by our side to the enemy without applying effective reciprocation procedures. This government allowed the enemy to take new prisoners after the signing of the November 9, 2021 infamous Tripartite Declaration without itself resorting to equivalent action.This government has been revoltingly negligent on the POW issue by not resorting to hard diplomacy in the world capitals, especially engaging Russia whose authority was compromised big time by Azerbaijani violations. Bottom line. This government has been unable to field any proactive move to get our POW’s out of their torturous captivity. Instead it shamefully resorts to small time soft action trying to make-believe that the fate of the POW’s is not forgotten by them…How could you!!?Garo Armenian

By Ercan Ersoy and Taylan Bilgic,

The operator of a provincial airport in western Turkey is putting it up for sale in a rare indictment of a system of public-private partnerships that are hobbling the nation’s finances. 

Closely held IC Ictas, which entered into a partnership with the government nine years ago to build and operate Zafer Airport, is waiting for offers following a slump in passenger use, according the airport’s chairman, Abdullah Keles. Built at a cost of more than 50 million euros ($59 million), Zafer, located about 374 kilometers (234 miles) south of Istanbul, has seen traffic all but disappear amid the pandemic. In the last year before the virus erupted, it registered little more than 6% of the 1.3 million passenger target level below which IC Ictas is entitled to government guaranteed payments. The number barely rose above 7,000 this year.

“We are ready to transfer the airport to any party that will pay us what we invested and assume the debt,” Keles said in an interview from Istanbul. 

Critics say Zafer’s failings are symbolic of how Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s government has frittered away taxpayers’ money through a $140 billion drive to build everything from roads to power plants and hospitals based on public-private partnerships that too often create so-called white elephants and leave operators out of pocket. Worse, when breakeven targets are missed, it piles a burden on Turkey that it can ill afford.

Ugur Emek, a former official at the now-defunct State Planning Council, says a calculation of contingent liabilities — a method used by the IMF to consider worst-case scenarios — shows Turkey would face a bill equivalent to a fifth of its $729 billion economy if the projects generated zero traffic over the next quarter century.

While that’s a theoretical outcome, the difficulties the projects pose will still be with Turkey for years to come, he says. 

“They’re damaging the operational capacity and budget room of incoming governments,” Emek said in an interview from Ankara, where he is a professor of economics at the city’s Baskent University. “Even today, payments related to city hospitals comprise a third of the Health Ministry budget.”

ANNOUNCES ENDOWED INTERNSHIP IN HER MEMORY

Washington, D.C. – The Armenian Assembly of America (Assembly) mourns the loss of longtime Assembly Trustee and Board of Directors member, Mrs. Savey Tufenkian.  A leading benefactor of the Assembly’s Summer Internship Program in Washington, D.C., she and her husband Ralph contributed immensely to the program by establishing the Richard Tufenkian Memorial Fund, in loving memory of their son Richard, who was an Assembly Summer Internship Program alumnus. The Tufenkians regularly and thoughtfully supported the Armenian American community through a range of initiatives, including educational, cultural, and humanitarian endeavors.   Savey Tufenkian served with grace and distinction as a member of the Assembly’s Board of Directors during the 1990s. Along with then Assembly Board Members Flora Dunaians and Elizabeth Agbabian, Tufenkian was a dynamic force and spearheaded many Assembly initiatives, including the Assembly’s successful Galas in California. Savey and Ralph’s generosity and support throughout the diaspora and in Armenia and Artsakh was extensive and all-encompassing. The Assembly recognized Ralph and Savey Tufenkian at the Assembly’s Gala in Newport Beach, CA in 2017 for their passion and dedication, especially with regard to the Assembly’s Internship Program.  “On behalf of the Armenian Assembly of America, we express our deepest condolences to her loving husband Ralph and members of her family, including their son and daughter-in-law Greg and Caroline Tufenkian and their children, as well as their daughter and son-in-law Sandra and Paul Kalemkiarian and their children and grandchildren. Savey’s commitment and philanthropic work for the betterment of the Armenian people was exemplary and will be sorely missed,” stated Assembly Board Co-Chairs, Anthony Barsamian and Van Krikorian.  “In her memory and honor, the Assembly is pleased to announce a new endowed internship, the Savey and Ralph Tufenkian Internship,” the Co-Chairs added. “This initiative will provide opportunities for Armenian American students for years to come, as Savey’s legacy continues throughout our community.”

Suren Parsyan

“Since independence, there are two roads for Armenia: north and south. 70-80% of our cargo passes through the North and about 20-30% through the South. In other words, the southern direction is an important, strategic way for us to receive Armenia’s cargo, “economist Suren Parsyan told Aravot.am. According to him, not only our cargo is transported to the south, but also the cargo of Georgia and Iran.

We asked Suren Parsyan what economic consequences the fact of keeping some sections of the interstate road passing through Armenia closed by the Azerbaijani armed forces for days would have for our country and also for neighboring countries. According to our interlocutor, for example, the shortest Georgia-Poti road for Iran passes through the territory of Armenia and for years Iranian and Georgian freight companies have used that road. “Taking into account the November 9 agreement and the subsequent events, we have lost control of a part of the Armenia-Iran road, and the Azerbaijani side can close that road at any time for objective, subjective reasons. In other words, it poses a threat to the region’s cargo transportation to Iranian, Georgian and Armenian cargo carriers.

” According to Suren Parsyan, it is not accidental that in recent months the European Union announced its readiness to finance the construction of the Sisian-Agarak road, which will become an alternative road to the current road. “That road will pass right in the middle of Syunik and will be far from the so-called controversial and dangerous road. “All countries in the region, including the EU, are interested in building this road, and it is no coincidence that in recent months it has promised 600 million euros to build the Sisian-Agarak road.” Read it: “The Armenian government suggests that Azerbaijan has the right to take any action against the roads passing through its territory.” “Political scientist Artak Zakaryan. Kurdistan is another theater in the National Assembly to deceive and blow dust. Is the region ready for that? Vahram Hovhannisyan According to Suren Parsyan, that road also has an important energy significance for us. We get diesel, gasoline and liquefied gas that way. “Especially now, when there is a shortage of liquefied gas in Armenia, the closure of that road could worsen the situation in Armenia. We get some liquefied natural gas from Iran and Iraq and we will lose that too. We need to establish our control over that road in the near future and at the same time work out an alternative road to the North-South. ” Lusine BUDAGHYAN

Source: https://www.aravot.am/2021/08/28/1212269/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter

Muhammad Usman Karim,

Iraq is hosting a summit in its capital and largest city Baghdad on Saturday. The official name of the conference is the ‘Baghdad Conference for Co-operation and Partnership’. The conference will include both regional and non-regional states. The Arab countries invited are Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates. Officials from France, Iran, and Turkey will attend. There will also be observers from the permanent members of the UN Security Council, Arab League, European Union, Gulf Co-operation Council, and the G20 group. 

The participation of regional powers and the specific agenda make the event notable. The summit is an ambitious initiative by the Prime Minister of Iraq Mustafa Al-Kadhimi to reduce tensions in the region.

“Iraq will seek to play a bigger role in bringing the regional powers together,” he said. He has established a special committee headed by Senior Undersecretary Nizar Al-Khairallah to ensure the conference succeeds. On behalf of Al-Kadhimi, the committee sent ministers to different countries to invite them to the summit. 

Iraq is trying to bring the countries closer to focus on the regional challenges they face. Since April, Iraq has worked to mediate between rivals Saudi Arabia and Iran. The success of this latest event will be a yardstick to measure the effectiveness of Baghdad’s diplomatic efforts. Iraq has been using diplomatic mediation and shuttle diplomacy to cool the temperature between regional rivals. However, this time Iraq intends to shift its policy by seeking a more significant role as a diplomatic mediator. It is trying to normalize the relations between regional countries by bringing their higher officials on a public platform where they could discuss their reservations with each other directly. The purpose of the conference, said Iraqi President Barham Salih, is “easing tensions and crises in the region as well as supporting the constructive path of positive dialogue and negotiations.” 

Iran had a significant influence on the foreign policy of Iraq due to cultural and religious ties. Now, under Prime Minister Al-Kadhimi, Iraq has changed the course of its foreign policy. It seems that Iraq is trying to reduce its dependence on the Islamic Republic of Iran. The US has encouraged this approach to counter Iranian influence in the region. On July 26, Kadhimi met US President Joe Biden in the White House. The US also encouraged Iraq to re-establish its diplomatic and economic relations with the neighbouring countries. Washington has decided to withdraw its combat troops from Iraq by the end of 2021. It now appears that Iraq is looking to boost its economy and infrastructural development in terrorism-free zones. Baghdad has likely realized that to solve the myriad problems inside the country, there needs to be a conducive environment around it. Hence, Iraq is helping regional adversaries sort out their problems through mediation efforts between important regional players like Saudi Arabia, Iran, and Turkey.

The Foreign Minister of Iraq, Fuad Hussain, visited Iran on August 10 and met Iran’s new president Sayyid Ebrahim Raisi. He also handed over the invitation letter on behalf of the Prime Minister. President Raisi expressed his appreciation for Iraq’s initiative, calling it a “blessed step”. However, he did not confirm whether or not he will attend the conference. 

Saudi officials were also invited to the swearing-in ceremony of Ebrahim Raisi by Iran even though relations between the two countries are not so great. Raisi stated that “the interference of foreigners in the affairs of the region is a source of tension and threats”. Iran says it will be happy to negotiate with its strategic rivals at any platform, provided its interests are taken into account. If this summit proves fruitful and assists in the consolidation of Iran’s relations with the powerful regional states Saudi Arabia and Turkey, Tehran will be in a better position on the negotiation table for the resumption of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), also known as the Iran nuclear deal.

In addition, before visiting Iran, Iraq’s foreign minister travelled to Saudi Arabia, where he met his counterpart. He delivered Prime Minister Al-Kadhimi’s invitation letter of the summit for Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz. However, according to the reports, Saudi Arabia is asking Iraq about the level of representation from Turkey and Iran. This highlights the differences among the three major countries of the region. Nevertheless, the recent decline in the relations of the US and Saudi Arabia may encourage Saudi Arabia to turn its focus to improving relations with regional states. And this Iraqi initiative will provide Riyadh with an opportunity to do so. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan was also invited to the summit.

The strategic interests of Iran and Turkey diverge in many areas. For one, Turkey opposes the Bashar al-Assad regime in Syria, while Iran supports that regime. Both countries’ positions on the issue of Kurds, on the other hand, are more mixed. Even in Iraq, Turkey and Iran are not on the same side as Turkey is a member of NATO. However, due to Erdoğan’s aggressive foreign policy, Turkey has suffered isolation in the region during the last few years. Also, poor economic growth, the mishandling of the COVID-19 crisis, and the recent wildfires jeopardized the government’s popularity. Hence, Ankara may view this conference as an opportunity to revitalize its reputation and shore up its fraying economy.

France has a significant influence in the region. It is an important part of the US-led military coalition against the Islamic State and has troops deployed in Iraq and Syria. Iran, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey’s participation in the conference could bring regional harmony and economic reinforcement to their region. However, it is too early to predict a breakthrough in the relations between these countries. One thing, however, is pretty clear. Regardless of whether or not this summit breaks the ice between these countries, it will likely provide a conducive environment that can help pave the way towards the normalization of relations in the future.