by Michael Rubin

The warning signs about atrocity are flash red, but Secretary of State Antony Blinken persists in forcing through a peace deal between Armenia and Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh, a traditionally Armenian-populated enclave in what is now Azerbaijan.

Blinken may see a peace deal as a success he can trumpet against the backdrop of a tenure devoid of other accomplishments, but the consequence of Blinken’s actions will be huge.

THE US MUST TURN UP THE HEAT ON TURKEY’S ERDOGAN

He may want a Nobel Peace Prize, as might Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan or even Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev. It is unlikely, but should the Norwegian Nobel Committee oblige, the Blinken prize would herald a humanitarian disaster, as did the Nobel Committee’s award to Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed in 2019.

The problems with Blinken’s peace plan are huge.

Democracies should not bully fellow democrats into conceding to terror in the face of aggression. Nor should the State Department dismantle democracies and force their submission to dictatorship. Most alarming, Blinken actively ignores Aliyev’s abuses, even as Aliyev incites genocide and denies the legitimacy of an entire population.

As Armenian lands have fallen under Azerbaijan’s control, Azerbaijanis have demolished churches and destroyed a millennium-old cemetery. They, like Palestinian extremists do toward Jews in the Holy Land, denied any historical connection between Armenian communities and the lands on which they have lived for thousands of years since founding the world’s first Christian state 1,722 years ago. This is why Azerbaijani restorers sandblast Armenian inscriptions from churches and insist they belong to ancient Albanians rather than Armenian interlopers.

That Blinken is silent as Azerbaijan demands Armenian priests abandon the Dadivank monastery suggests indifference to cultural eradication.

Aliyev, meanwhile, finds solace in sycophants who deny any legitimacy to Armenia’s population, dismissing their community in Nagorno-Karabakh as no more real than “Narnia.” That said, Blinken’s silence is the rule rather than the exception. Be it in Nigeria, with regard to the Uyghurs, or in the South Caucasus, Blinken has been the worst secretary of state for religious freedom, at least since Cordell Hull insisted on sending Jews back to Nazi Germany as the Holocaust loomed.

Since the fall of the Soviet Union, the Armenian community in Nagorno-Karabakh has organized itself democratically. Freedom House has ranked them more democratic than Azerbaijan, a country Freedom House lists among the world’s worst dictatorships.

Things have heated up this week.

On May 28, Aliyev demanded the surrender of Nagorno-Karabakh’s elected president, but suggested he would offer amnesty for other ethnic Armenian administrators and elected officials should they accept Azerbaijani rule. Bizarrely, the State Department praised Aliyev’s offer.

This sets up a humanitarian disaster.

As soon as ethnic Armenians put themselves under Aliyev’s rule, they become Azerbaijani subjects with no civil or human rights of which to speak. Aliyev has already shown disdain for Armenians by subjecting them to a five-month blockade of food, medicine, and fuel. He has separated elementary school-age children from their parents and senior citizens from their caregivers by allowing some to visit Armenia, only to deny them the right to return.

During the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh War and after, Azerbaijani forces embraced terror as a tactic. They circulated videos of prisoner beheadings and mutilations and destruction of graveyards to both desensitize their own population and force the flight of Armenians.

Should Blinken impose peace, expect that Azerbaijani tactic to accelerate.

Azerbaijan may want Nagorno-Karabakh, but it does not want its residents. It will treat regional capital Stepanakert like Serb nationalists treated Bosnian Muslims in Srebrenica. The logic remains the same: Murder 8,000 but force 10 times that number to flee by exposing the impotence of peacekeepers and diplomats.

It is time to end the moral equivalence. Democracy should be a precursor to peace. So too, is an end to the incitement of ethnic hatred in Azerbaijan’s textbooks and media. Delaying the demarcation of borders until after peace only gives Azerbaijan the green light to renege on its commitments.

During the Obama administration, Jake Sullivan’s ego, naivete, and ambition played into Iranian hands and brought the Islamic Republic to the brink of nuclear breakout. The cost for Blinken’s ego, naivete, and ambition will be paid in tens of thousands of Armenian lives.

Michael Rubin (@mrubin1971) is a contributor to the Washington Examiner’s Beltway Confidential blog. He is a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute.

The future fate of the Nemesis statue is at the core of public discussions in Armenia.

The statue has greatly offended Ankara. And the Turkish side makes it clear in every possible way that it expects Yerevan to remove that statue, forgetting that it cannot decide who should install whose statue in Armenia, when, and how. There is weak resistance from Yerevan. The Yerevan Municipality has stated that it has no intention of dismantling the statue, although Nikol Pashinyan cleared the history of the statue directly from himself and “put it in the pocket” of the Yerevan Municipality, at the same time trying to move the conversation to another dimension, for example, the statue of Nzhdeh, which was installed at the time, or why we the statues of Armenian kings we did not install it. The Secretary of the Security Council of Armenia announced yesterday that no one has the right to interfere in the internal affairs of Armenia, but it is not yet known if this word will be worth anything.

Of course, Nikol Pashinyan would like to be completely cleansed of this history personally, and according to his opinion, everyone would be considered guilty, except him. But in Ankara, they think differently. He is the head of the country, therefore, he is responsible for anything that happened in the country, and it is he who will be expected to answer the questions. Therefore, it is unlikely that he will be able to avoid this topic in any way and blame Hrach Sargsyan, Tigran Avinyan or the descendants and sculptor of those who carried out the Nemesis operation.

But it can be seen from everything that the RA Prime Minister would like the statue of Nemesis to be dismantled. Otherwise, Ankara makes it clear that it will put aside any action aimed at normalizing relations with Armenia. However, it should also be noted that Pashinyan may go to the decision to dismantle the statue with great difficulty, because the internal reaction, the attitude of the Armenian public, and especially the reaction of the Diaspora, may be extremely negative, and in this case, the not-known SNOC with its army of fakes, no ” “Zombieland” will not save him from being discredited and labeled with all kinds of epithets, maybe even from dismissal. And if some people can be restrained by the law enforcement system in Armenia, they will have to “swallow” a lot on those living outside of Armenia, simply because they don’t have any leverage.

In an allegorical sense, the statue of Nemesis has already become a bone at this moment, which remained in the throat of Pashinyan and his teammates. Let’s not forget that even if the statue is dismantled in the end, there will be elections in Yerevan in a few months, and it is still a question how many people will vote for CP in Yerevan after such a move. Another question is whether they can try to delay the elections in Yerevan, and then dismantle them so that the electoral processes are overcome. But that means that they have to reach a shadowing agreement with the Turkish authorities and convince them that we will fulfill your demand, and give them some “mulab”.

Serob Marutyan

By Harut Sassounian,

Just when we thought that we had heard everything about the current Armenian government’s questionable positions on Artsakh, Armenia, and Armenian interests, we are now facing another monumental mistake by Armenia’s leaders.

On April 25, 2023, the descendants of those who killed the Turkish masterminds of the Armenian Genocide inaugurated the Nemesis Monument in Yerevan. In attendance were opposition members of Parliament, and surprisingly, Tigran Avinyan, the Deputy Mayor of Yerevan, who is a member of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s political party.

Nemesis was the name of the operation which was organized by the Armenian Revolutionary Federation to eliminate several Ottoman leaders who were responsible for the Armenian Genocide. This operation implemented the death verdicts issued in absentia by the Turkish Military Tribunal in Istanbul, in 1919, against the Genocide perpetrators, since they had fled from the country. Talaat Pasha, the main culprit in the Armenian Genocide, was killed by Soghomon Tehlirian in Berlin, in 1921. A German court found him not guilty due to Talaat’s massive crimes.

Talaat’s remains were brought from Berlin to Turkey in 1943. The Turkish government ‘honored’ Talaat by naming avenues, mosques, schools, hospitals and a memorial after him in Istanbul. This would be just as shameful, had the German government named schools and avenues in Berlin after Hitler! Another Genocide organizer, Minister of War Enver Pasha, is buried in the same memorial in Istanbul. His remains were brought in 1996 to Turkey from Tajikistan where he was assassinated in 1922 by an Armenian.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu retaliated against the Nemesis Monument by announcing that Turkey banned overflights by Armenian airlines from Turkish skies. Furthermore, Cavusoglu brazenly announced that Turkey would take additional steps against Armenia, if the Nemesis Monument is not dismantled. Thus, Turkey violated the rules of IATA (International Air Transport Association) which states that countries cannot ban overflights for political reasons. Armenia should take legal action against Turkey under IATA rules and ban the overflights of Turkish Airlines over Armenia’s skies. 

This unwarranted Turkish retaliation is taking place at a time when the governments of Armenia and Turkey are negotiating for over a year to open their mutual border and normalize their relations. Even though it is announced that these negotiations are taking place “without any preconditions,” in reality, Turkey has made several demands, such as Armenia declaring that Artsakh is part of Azerbaijan by recognizing its territorial integrity, allowing the so-called ‘Zangezur Corridor’ to cross Armenia’s territory, linking mainland Azerbaijan to its exclave of Nakhichevan, which would mean that the ‘Corridor’ is under the sovereignty of Azerbaijan, not Armenia.

Even if Turkey would open the border someday, it will shut it down again if Armenia does not meet any of Turkey’s future demands, thus continuously blackmailing the Armenian government. Turkey’s current demand to dismantle the Nemesis Monument is an early warning of more demands to come from Turkey, such as dismantling the Armenian Genocide Memorial Complex in Yerevan, banning the burning of Turkish flags on April 24, and removing from Armenia’s Declaration of Independence the paragraph that states: “The Republic of Armenia supports the task of achieving international recognition of the Armenian Genocide in Ottoman Turkey and Western Armenia in 1915.”

This is the result of prostrating oneself in front of the unrepentant enemy and begging for peace. In response to the Turkish ban of Armenian overflights from Turkish skies, Armenia’s leaders criticized their own country for erecting the Nemesis Monument in Yerevan, rather than telling Turkey that they have no right to interfere in Armenia’s domestic decisions. In the process of trying to appease Turkey, Armenia’s Prime Minister and the President of the Parliament made a number of anti-Monument statements. So, it is OK for Turkey to glorify Talaat, the Turkish Hitler, but not OK for Armenia to honor those who killed the butcher. Armenia’s leaders, rather than making excuses for the Nemesis Monument, should have demanded that Turkey dismantle the Talaat Pasha Memorial in Istanbul.

Prime Minister Pashinyan made the excuse that the Nemesis Monument was authorized by the City of Yerevan, not the government of Armenia. The Monument was approved by the Yerevan City Council on Sept. 14, 2021. Pashinyan contradicted himself by first telling the Armenian Parliament that the decision to authorize the Monument was made “to avoid being labeled traitors…. But by doing so, we actually keep betraying the state and national interests of our country.” He then went on to say that “a wrong decision was made and the implementation of that decision was wrong.” Pashinyan also stated that “one of the shortcomings of democracy is when the authorities or the government leader is not controlling everything and everyone.” This is a shocking statement from someone who came to power claiming to promote democracy, yet he does not seem to understand the basic principles of democracy. Pashinyan, in fact, controls everything and everyone in the country!

Meanwhile, the President of the Armenian Parliament Alen Simonyan, during a press conference in Ankara last week, also made excuses by saying that Turkey should not view the Nemesis Monument “as an expression of the foreign policy of the government of Armenia nor as an unfriendly act. The Armenian government’s foreign policy is conducted by the Prime Minister and Foreign Minister.” Simonyan further said that only “opposition members of the Parliament had attended the inauguration of the Nemesis Monument.” Cavusoglu replied that the Armenian government’s excuses are “insincere and untrue. No one should try to deceive us by saying that it does not fall within their jurisdiction.”

Armenia’s leaders need to draw an important lesson from this episode. Unless Armenia immediately rejects Turkey’s attempts to interfere in Armenia’s internal affairs, I fear that the Turkish government will be emboldened to impose further demands which will severely restrict Armenia’s sovereignty.

Director of the Center for Law and Justice “Tatoyan” Foundation, former RA Human Rights Defender Arman Tatoyan invited the Syunik Marz of Armenia to the special fact-finding group of the Lemkin Institute for the Prevention of Genocide.

The purpose of the visit is once again to argue the blockade of the Berdzor (Lachin) corridor by Azerbaijan. I have a hard time guessing what this argument will bring to Armenia. I am sure that Tatoyan would have given the same answer if he answered that question honestly. But Arman Tatoyan’s work still has a certain value. One more time to remind the Western democracy (woe to that democracy) that in the 21st century, in front of everyone’s eyes, an aggressor country keeps 120 thousand people under siege. That, and secondly, the Law and Justice Center founded by him can only engage in this type of activity. which means

Unfortunately, I cannot say the same about the government headed by Nikol Pashinyan. As the supreme executive body of the state, the government has power levers to resolve this or that issue. To solve internal issues, the police is used, sometimes also the NSS, and in case of external problems, the army, the same NSS, supposedly on a larger scale, border guards, etc. And for the government to do the same as a private foundation does, it shows that the head of the government is not in his place. And neither are the rest of the government in their places, who tolerate the fact that they are being led by a person who is not in their place.

And the government has already invited observers twice. the second group is still active. But in addition to the already invited Western observers, he wants to invite new ones. It seems to me that the observers will play the role of position guards. And they should stop the leader of the enemy country from carrying out provocations and aggressions. If that were the case, there would not be any interstate conflicts in the world at the moment, not to mention wars. And our case is more than classic in that sense: European observers should not allow Azerbaijan, a reliable partner of Europe, to do what is in its interests. And by and large, also in the interests of the countries that sent them. I would call it naivety, a high “flight” shown by the person who governs Armenia and represents it in the same Europe.

But I think that the European observers did not come to Armenia just to look at the Azerbaijani positions through binoculars. It has already been written that they enter the border settlements and question the residents about the former Azerbaijani residents and their houses. And in Baku, they started to speak about the demand of Azerbaijanis to return to their former places of residence. I think that one day we will know that the observers provided Baku Khan with all the necessary information. And then Nikol “told” us that they have the right to return to their homes. Otherwise, Azerbaijan will threaten us with war again. And since he doesn’t imagine any other option but peace, we have to meet another demand of the Turks from the east. And the question of the fate of the 29,800 square kilometers dreamed of by the person clinging to the post of Prime Minister will turn into another nightmare. Unfortunately.

Vakhtang Siradeghyan

In Pashinyan’s April 24th address, the words “Turkey” and “Turk” were missing, there is no call or exhortation to recognize the Genocide, no mention of Turkish denial, the phrase “Armenian Genocide” was used only once, and that was in the non-existent Ottoman Empire, which seems to have never existed. has nothing to do with Turkey.

The message was made in such a way that it would not suddenly offend, upset the Turkish authorities, or give them a reason to abandon the settlement of Armenian-Turkish relations, which the RA authorities and Pashinyan himself have been talking about and dreaming about for a long time, but they have not been able to realize that dream. And the next day, Pashinyan used the words “Mets ekhern” in a tweet.

The whole meaning of the message of the 24th is to turn denial into state policy, to free Turkey from the responsibility of the Genocide. Pashinyan claims a priori that those who go to the Genocide Memorial are concerned about 2 questions. why the Armenian Genocide took place, which Pashinyan calls the “Great Genocide” more acceptable to Turks, and what should be done to prevent its repetition. It turns out that 108 years after the Genocide, the Armenian society still does not have the answer to these questions. The Armenian society learned a long time ago, 108 and more years ago, that the goal of Turkey and even before that of the Ottoman Empire was to deprive the Armenian people of their homeland, to take over their historical homeland by massacring and physically destroying the Armenians, and this policy continues even today. Even today, Turkey and Azerbaijan continue to push Armenians out of their historical homeland, the captured and Turkified settlements of Hadrut, Shushi, Martun, Martakert are the clearest evidence of this. The occupation of the territories of Teghi, Sotki, Nerkin Hand and other settlements of Armenia is happening before our eyes.

Avetis Babajanyan

Following a war in 2020, the Lachin corridor has been under the jurisdiction of Russian peacekeeping forces as part of a ceasefire agreement.

BY GABRIEL GAVIN,

Azerbaijan has set up a checkpoint on the only road in or out of the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh, sparking fears for its ethnic Armenian population and reports of new firefights along the shared border.

In a statement issued on Sunday, the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry said that work had begun to “establish control” along the Lachin corridor, the sole highway that links the breakaway territory to Armenia.

According to officials, the move is intended to stop “the rotation of personnel of Armenian armed forces that continue to be illegally stationed in the territory of Azerbaijan, the transfer of weapons and ammunition, entrance of terrorists, as well as illicit trafficking of natural resources.”

Following a war between the two sides over Nagorno-Karabakh in 2020, the Lachin corridor has been under the jurisdiction of Russian peacekeeping forces as part of a Moscow-backed ceasefire agreement. In December, self-described Azerbaijani environmental activists, with the support of the government in Baku, pushed past the wire fencing and began blocking the road as part of what they claimed was a protest over illegal mining.

Since then, only peacekeepers and aid convoys operated by the Red Cross have been able to get supplies through to the tens of thousands of Armenians who call the region home. Rationing of food and energy has been implemented. Russian troops have been unable or unwilling to restore the flow of civilian traffic, and appeared to take no action against the installation of the checkpoint on Sunday. According to Baku, its personnel will take control of the road “in interaction” with Moscow’s forces.

Armenia’s Foreign Ministry said the move was a “flagrant violation” of the 2020 ceasefire, in which Baku agreed to “guarantee safe movement of citizens, vehicles and cargo in both directions along the Lachin corridor.” According to Yerevan, the checkpoint also breaches a call from the International Court of Justice for Azerbaijan to “take all measures at its disposal” to ensure the “unimpeded” flow of traffic.

In a statement, the U.S. State Department said it was “deeply concerned” by the development and urged Azerbaijan to ensure “free and open movement of people and commerce on the Lachin corridor.”

Inside Azerbaijan’s internationally recognized borders, Nagorno-Karabakh has been under Armenian control since a war that followed the collapse of the USSR.

However, the installation of a checkpoint on the Lachin corridor would effectively end its de facto autonomy, which Armenia has warned could be a precursor to “ethnic cleansing.” 

Baku insists it has the right to exert control over the territory, and has called on Armenians living there to lay down their weapons and accept being governed by Azerbaijan.

Later on Sunday, the two former Soviet republics accused each other of launching attacks along the border, close to the Lachin corridor. At least one Armenian serviceman was reported to have died. 

Azerbaijan insists its troops took “adequate retaliatory measures.”

Source: https://www.politico.eu/article/azerbaijan-installs-checkpoint-on-road-to-nagorno-karabakh-amid-fatal-clashes/