In recent weeks, Armenian and regional political landscapes have witnessed significant events prompting contemplation on their interconnections. Discussions about potential snap elections in Armenia have permeated both pro-government and certain anti-government circles, while Azerbaijan, led by Ilham Aliyev, has already declared snap elections in February.

The chronological examination of the past weeks reveals a complex web of events. Following the ethnic cleansing of Artsakh in September, amid efforts to assist forcibly displaced Armenians, the focus of “Civil Contract” shifted to securing the position of Yerevan City Mayor. Subsequently, Avinyan, aligned with Pashinyan, assumed the mayoral role. Notably, recent actions, including the removal of the elected Mayor of Alaverdi, indicate strategic moves aligning with the discourse of potential snap elections.

Authoritarian leaders typically consolidate control over key cities and communities ahead of elections to secure favorable outcomes. In this context, the steps taken by “Civil Contract” align with such a political strategy.

Zooming out, the visit of James O’Brien, Assistant Secretary at the US State Department’s Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs, to Baku on December 6 underscores geopolitical dynamics. O’Brien’s bypassing of Yerevan amid tensions in US-Azerbaijan relations suggests a calculated move by the US. Unlike Pashinyan’s Armenia, Azerbaijan engages in diplomatic exchanges based on mutual interests, reflecting their pragmatic approach.

The mutual needs of Azerbaijan and the US come into focus. Azerbaijan seeks acknowledgment of its actions in Artsakh as legitimate, closing the Artsakh issue definitively. Simultaneously, the US aims to create challenges for Russia in the South Caucasus, leveraging a potential “peace treaty” between Armenia and Azerbaijan under the Western umbrella.

Bilateral agreements on the exchange of prisoners of war follow O’Brien’s visit, benefiting both Aliyev and Pashinyan. For Azerbaijan, these elections mark the first where votes extend from occupied Artsakh, while for Armenia, they signify the first election post-occupation. Aliyev and Pashinyan appear poised to solidify a status quo where the Republic of Artsakh ceases to exist, advancing their countries’ interests at Armenia’s expense.

In this intricate geopolitical situation, Pashinyan is positioned to secure another “iron mandate” for the proposed “peace treaty,” seemingly untouched by concerns raised over Alaverdi, Gyumri, Yerevan, or the potential snap elections by both the US embassy and the EU delegation.

Source: 301.am

The Armenian authorities are “packaging” the peace treaty [expected to be signed with Azerbaijan] in such a way that after 20-25 years my grandchildren will go to war [against Azerbaijan].

It seems to them [the Armenian authorities] that they are going for peace; but it’s not peace, it’s war! You’re just delaying it from one generation to the next. Samvel Babayan, former Secretary of the Security Council and former Minister of Defense of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh), stated this in an interview with Armenian News-NEWS.am.

“There was a genocide 100 years ago, and any president of Armenia who tries to recognize the territorial integrity of Turkey becomes a traitor. He goes abroad, gets hit with tomatoes and eggs. Even today, the [Armenian] diaspora almost completely disdains today’s incumbent [Armenian] authorities,” said Babayan.

“I say: if there are literate, thinking people in Azerbaijan so that our [two] peoples, who have been fighting each other for 300 years, do not continue to fight for another 300 years, we should play our ‘game.’ For so long we have not decided, the superpowers have decided, which have promoted their interests. I propose that we play our ‘game’ in coordination with Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan needs to realize that Artsakh should be an autonomous republic, that people [should] return, there [should] be peace, the two peoples [should] reconcile. The region [should] follow the path of economic, political, and logistic integration; this is our future,” added Samvel Babayan.

Based on the 2022 census findings in Armenia, the country’s total permanent population stands at 2,932,731 individuals, with 1,548,250 being women and 1,384,481 being men. The Statistical Committee of Armenia released these statistics.

During the same period, the current population indicator was 2,869,438 people.

Comparing the 2022 census data with the previous 2011 census in Armenia reveals a decline in both current and permanent population figures. Specifically, in contrast to the 2011 census, the permanent population has decreased by approximately 86,023 individuals. In 2011, the permanent population was 3,018,854, and in 2001, it stood at 3,213,011 people.

By Harut Sassounian,

As if the problems of displaced Artsakh Armenians were not bad enough, given their forced departure from their native land and the subsequent hardships faced by lack of housing, food, medicines and other essential items after their arrival in Armenia, the government is now creating more unnecessary difficulties for them.

Artsakh Armenians, who have been citizens of Armenia for a long time, are suddenly told by the Armenian government that they are not citizens of Armenia, even though they possess passports issued by the Republic of Armenia. Many Artsakh Armenians have used their Armenian passports for years to travel to foreign countries without any problems, which means that the authorities in Armenia and other countries accepted their passports as genuine Armenian passports. How is it possible that Artsakhtsis were citizens of Armenia while living in Artsakh, but not after they arrived in Armenia?

To make matters more confusing, the government of Armenia is now telling Artsakh Armenians that since they are not citizens of Armenia, they may apply for Armenian citizenship in the future. This is complete nonsense. How can a citizen of Armenia apply a second time for citizenship? If I, as a US citizen, apply for US citizenship for the second time, American government officials will treat me as a fool and show me the door.

I believe that the Armenian government, led by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, has a hidden agenda in treating Artsakh Armenians as non-citizens. He wants to make sure that during future elections in Armenia, Artsakh Armenians will be unable to vote, knowing that many of them will not vote for his political party’s candidates, since Pashinyan is the one who handed Artsakh to Azerbaijan. We now have the additional evidence that the country’s leader is not only incompetent, but also violates the country’s laws for political gain. This is confirmed by the Interior Ministry’s declaration: “A person with refugee status does not have the right to vote and be elected in national elections.”

Last week, the Republic of Armenia’s Ministry of Interior issued a statement in the format of “answers to frequently asked questions by forcibly displaced citizens of the Republic of Artsakh.” In this first sentence, there is already an error. Artsakh Armenians are citizens of Armenia, not citizens of Artsakh or Azerbaijan.

The Ministry tried to entice Artsakh Armenians to accept their refugee status, telling them that those who have the status of a refugee have no obligation to serve in the armed forces of Armenia. In other words, Artsakh Armenians, who must serve in Armenia’s armed forces as citizens of Armenia, are wrongly exempted from military service, in violation of Armenian law.

The Ministry also stated that as refugees, Artsakh Armenians have no right to own agricultural land. This provision deprives them of the ability to grow food on their own plot of land, since they do not have the necessary funds to purchase food.

The Ministry then stated that refugees cannot travel to a foreign country. This is also false, as Artsakh Armenians with their Armenian passports can travel to any country after obtaining a visa, if one is required. Some countries like Russia do not require a visa from Armenian citizens. Thousands of Artsakh Armenians have already left Armenia simply by showing their Armenian passports which means that both Armenia and other countries have recognized their passports as legitimate documents.

The Ministry then contradicted itself by stating that “should a refugee’s passport expire, it can be renewed by presenting two photos and the expired passport.” How can Artsakh Armenians renew their passports in Armenia, if they are not Armenian citizens and do not hold Armenian passports?

In a further contradiction, the Ministry stated that those Artsakh Armenians who become Armenian citizens do not lose their ability to benefit from social assistance programs for refugees. The only requirement is that they be classified as ‘displaced.’ If they do not jeopardize their right to receive assistance after becoming citizens of Armenia, why are they classified as refugees and not recognized as citizens?

Incredibly, after giving away Artsakh and repressing the rights of Artsakh Armenians to pursue any political activity in Armenia on behalf of Artsakh, the Ministry of Interior stated that their losses of property in Artsakh “does not disappear or cease to exist as a result of a change in a person’s legal status,” meaning acquiring citizenship of Armenia. It remains to be seen if the Armenian government, beyond mere words, will be willing to file lawsuits in international courts to defend the property rights of Artsakh Armenians.

Artsakh Armenians, who are citizens of Armenia, have suffered more than enough. They should not be burdened with such unnecessary bureaucratic nonsense.

By Aram Suren Hamparian,

– Denying the Armenian Genocide

– Arming Azerbaijan’s attack on Artsakh

– Endangering Jerusalem’s Armenian Quarter

His hostility – rising all too often to the level of toxicity – runs directly counter to the views of the vast majority of Jews and allies of Israel around the world (spiritual and secular) who believe that Israel – itself a genocide survivor state – must stand with, not against, Armenia. – Aram Suren Hamparian

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis discussed the situation in the Middle East, Ukraine, and the Caucasus during a meeting with visiting Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Athens, reports the Greek City Times.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan keeps increasingly referring to places outside Turkey as “our lands.” The government of Turkey has threatened to invade and annex Greek islands in the Aegean Sea for at least the past five years.

In this context, the premier Greece noted the importance of respecting the territorial integrity of countries and protecting the civilian population.

He recalled the existing differences between Greece and Turkey over the Cyprus issue.

“There is no other solution for us than the decision of the UN Security Council. The dialogue should continue from where it left off in 2017,” Mitsotakis added.

By Harut Sassounian,

While Armenians are dealing with the dispossession of Artsakh and trying to cope with its tragic consequences, Azerbaijan is escalating its demands by launching a campaign claiming that the entire territory of the Republic of Armenia is supposedly ‘Western Azerbaijan.’ No sensible person in the world would take such an outrageous lie seriously, simply because Azerbaijan was founded a little over a century ago, while Armenia has been in existence for thousands of years. Even Coca Cola is older than Azerbaijan!

After establishing the ‘Western Azerbaijan Committee’ with the blessing of Pres. Aliyev, Azerbaijan has embarked on a worldwide campaign to disseminate its ridiculous scheme around the world and at the United Nations. Those Armenians who are concerned about Azerbaijan’s expansionist plans over the Syunik province of Armenia or the so-called Zangezur Corridor should be more alarmed about Azerbaijan’s enormous appetite to take over all of the Republic of Armenia, after occupying Artsakh.

Here are four actions Azerbaijan has taken at the UN in recent months:

1) Azerbaijan’s Ambassador to the UN Yashar Aliyev circulated to all members of the General Assembly and Security Council a letter by the ‘Western Azerbaijan Committee’ on January 17, 2023, stating that “All Azerbaijanis expelled from the territory of nowadays Armenia and their descendants have the right to return to their homeland.”

2) A second letter was submitted by Azerbaijan to the UN on February 22, 2023, accusing Armenians of carrying out acts of “violence, genocide, massacres and other crimes against humanity and gross violations of human rights. This process was particularly violent and cruel in 1905–1906, 1918–1921, 1948–1953 and 1987–1991.” The letter added that “in nowadays Armenia, Azerbaijani historical and cultural heritage, including mosques and graveyards, were massively destroyed, toponyms were changed and systematic racial discrimination was carried out against Azerbaijanis.”

Moreover, Azerbaijan demanded that the UN take the following steps for the settlement of Azerbaijanis in Armenia:

“− Obtaining a legally binding international agreement with appropriate verification and guarantee mechanisms ensuring the voluntary return of Azerbaijanis expelled from the territory of nowadays Armenia to their homeland in safety and dignity;

− Securing the return process with appropriate security, humanitarian and socio-economic assistance programs;

− Establishing international monitoring, accountability, security, intervention and other necessary activities to prevent the recurrence of expulsion, discrimination and harm to the returned population;

− Ensuring sustainable rehabilitation and reintegration of returnees through the implementation of reconstruction and reconciliation measures under international supervision.”

Azerbaijan’s UN Ambassador demanded that Azeris who return to Armenia “have unimpeded communication with the Republic of Azerbaijan.” This is a very alarming suggestion which means that the Republic of Azerbaijan wants to have a road under its control within the territory of Armenia. The letter added that Azeris returning to Armenia should not be dispersed throughout the country, but kept together as a group and their safety and rights ensured. Even more alarming is the demand that Azeris be able to “use the Azerbaijani language in the legislative, executive and judicial branches of the [Armenian] Government.” Azerbaijan added the following ridiculous demand: “Azerbaijanis shall be entitled to form local security forces and take an appropriate role in courts” of Armenia. This actually means that Armenia will be an appendix to Azerbaijan rather than a sovereign republic.

Furthermore, to ensure the safety of Azeris returning to Armenia, Azerbaijan “considers it necessary to deploy an international security mission with an appropriate mandate and comprising the forces of countries trusted by Western Azerbaijanis in the areas to which they will be returning.” In other words, Azerbaijan wants to station foreign troops on Armenia’s territory, which is completely unacceptable. Azerbaijan also stated that “The Government of Armenia shall ensure the return of property and community lands belonging to Azerbaijanis and pay compensation for property damage and losses caused by preventing the use of property.” Those who make such insane demands are living in a make-believe world.

3) The ‘Western Azerbaijan Committee’ delivered a letter to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in April 2023, requesting him “to send a special UN mission to Armenia for launching the process of safe and dignified return of Azerbaijanis expelled from this country.”

4) The ‘Western Azerbaijan Committee’ submitted a report in October 2023 to the UN Committee on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights. According to the Azeri media, the UN Committee “demanded that Armenia address the issues raised by the Western Azerbaijan Committee.” If there is any truth in this claim, I hope that Armenia’s UN Representative responded to Azerbaijan’s allegations and exposed the Azeri lies.

This is the vindictive enemy that Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan naively believes he can sign a ‘Peace Treaty’ with. This unnecessary ‘Peace Treaty’ will actually undermine Armenia’s interests. Azerbaijan is already demanding that the rights of “Azeris expelled from Armenia” be included in such a treaty, thus providing the ground for future aggression and occupation by Azerbaijan. The Azeri letter to the UN in fact includes such an alarming provision: “the [Azeri] Community will aspire to include the creation of conditions for the return of Western Azerbaijanis to their homeland as an obligation of Armenia in the peace treaty to be concluded between Azerbaijan and Armenia.”

The only way to end this nonsense is for Armenia to stop the slippery slope of making endless concessions to Azerbaijan and reject all of its unacceptable demands.

There are 6 civilian prisoners, 41 prisoners of war, and 8 former high-ranking political and military figures who are considered political prisoners, human rights defender Siranush Sahakyan, representative of the interests of Armenian prisoners of war at the ECHR, said at the press conference. In addition to 55 people, at least 80 prisoners of war and civilians were captured in Azerbaijan, and no steps are being taken to find out their fates.

“This is just the official number of prisoners, apart from this, at least 80 prisoners of war and civilians were captured by Azerbaijan, and no steps are being taken to find out their fates,” said Sahakyan. “From this point of view, the group of captives is at a higher level of protection, because at least the circumstances of the captivity have been confirmed, and there is no movement in relation to the other group, and as of spring 2021, there are no recorded cases of Azerbaijan officializing the persons captured during the 44-day war,” – emphasized the specialist of international law.

Source: 301

The Russian Federation called on Israel to take measures regarding the situation around the Armenian Quarter of Jerusalem. Maria Zakharova noted during the briefing that the rights of all religious communities should be equally protected. “Moscow opposes any illegal actions aimed at revising the historically established ethno-confessional balance in the Old City (Jerusalem), including encroachments on Christian communities, their holy sites, and property”.