Germans have elected a new parliament. But forming a government and selecting a new chancellor will take a while. Until then Angela Merkel will remain in office.

Negotiations to form a new government can take months, but the freshly elected Bundestag gets to work relatively quickly. In accordance with the German Constitution, it must convene no later than 30 days after the election — that’s by October 26 this year.

If the new Bundestag cannot immediately elect a chancellor during its first session, because the coalition negotiations have not yet been finalized, President Frank-Walter Steinmeier will ask Chancellor Angela Merkel and her Cabinet to continue serving until the new government is chosen and sworn in.

There is no time limit for this phase. Angela Merkel could still be in office at Christmas. After December 17, 2021, she would then have surpassed Chancellor Helmut Kohl’s previous record of 5,869 days in office.

TEHRAN – Over the last few weeks, a quiet crisis has unfolded between Iran and the Republic of Azerbaijan over a variety of issues that some Iranian officials attribute to the foreign malign presence in Baku.

The episode began in early August when social media users in Iran reported mistreatment of Iranian truck drivers by Azerbaijani forces along the Goris-Kapan Highway which links Iran to Armenia through the newly-liberated Karabakh region. The Iranian trucks were carrying Armenia-bound goods from Iran but due to the change in Karabakh’s borders during a 2020 war had to pass through a road curve into Azerbaijan’s territory. 

Azerbaijan also reportedly imposed a staggering tax on Iranian commercial trucks which drew criticism from Iranian merchants.

Azerbaijan implicitly confirmed the trucks row by inviting the Iranian ambassador to Baku, Seyed Abbas Mousavi. On August 11, the Azerbaijani foreign ministry issued a statement saying that Mousavi was “invited” to the ministry over the issue of the trucks. 

“During the meeting, Ambassador’s attention was drawn to the undesirable facts revealed in connection with the illegal travel of trucks belonging to the Islamic Republic of Iran to Karabakh, and Note Verbal was submitted to the opposite side,” the statement said. “Dissatisfaction with the recent continuous entry-exit of various vehicles belonging to friendly Islamic Republic of Iran to Karabakh region of Azerbaijan without the permission of official Baku is expressed in the Note. Our dissatisfaction, which earlier was conveyed to the Iranian side verbally, was once again raised in front of the Iranian Ambassador during the meeting.”

Iran moved to resolve the issue in a low-key way even though after Azerbaijan closed the highway to Iran’s commercial vehicles. In late August, a local Iranian official, confirming the Azerbaijani closure of the strategic road, said more than 120 Iranian trucks and passenger cars were stopped inside the Azerbaijani part of the Goris-Kapan route. 

The local official, Orujali Alizadeh, the head of Eastern Azerbaijan’s Road Maintenance and Transportation Organization, noted that the closure of the road followed an escalation between Armenia and Azerbaijan and that Iran following the issue with Azerbaijan.

Amid all this, a series of other issues further complicated the situation between Tehran and Baku. Azerbaijan held joint military drills with Turkey and Pakistan in Baku, a move that prompted Iran to voice reservations about the legality of a military presence by non-littoral states in the Caspian Sea. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said according to the Caspian Sea’s legal conventions the military presence of non-littoral states in this sea is illegal. 

Azerbaijan also held another joint military exercise with Turkey in the Azerbaijani exclave of Nakhichevan. To make things worse, Azerbaijani lawmakers unleased a series of hostile remarks against Iran bearing stern threats against Tehran. One Azerbaijani lawmaker thundered that Pakistan’s army would invade Tehran if it made any hostile move against Baku. Another lawmaker threatened to cut Iran’s tail. 

These remarks angered many in Tehran and mounted pressure on officials to respond to Azerbaijan. Thus began a series of Iranian statements reminding Baku of the dangers of an escalation with Iran. 

Fada-Hossein Maleki, a leading member of the Iranian parliament sitting on the National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, advised Azerbaijan to stop its “suspicious moves.”

“The drills carried out by the governments of Azerbaijan, Pakistan and Turkey are worrying,” the lawmaker told Fars News, adding that Iran is closely following the situation along Iran-Azerbaijan borders and “warns about some suspicious movements.”

Underlining that blocking Iran’s trade with Armenia was not the right thing to do, Maleki said, “Armenia is an independent country and the Islamic Republic has trade with the region, and Baku should reconsider its recent actions so that no excuses be provided for countries seeking to create problems which will impinge on Baku more.”

He also called on Turkey and Pakistan to coordinate their steps in Azerbaijan with Iran. 

Other Iranian lawmakers were blunter in their reactions to their Azerbaijani counterparts. Ahmad Naderi, a lawmaker, said on Twitter that some Azerbaijani lawmakers have now “gotten carried away” many times and utter words that are “bigger than their size and capacity.” He asked his Azerbaijani counterparts to interpret Iran’s silence as a sign of greatness and pay attention to their duty in maintaining good neighborliness with Iran. “Otherwise, the hand will be restored to the body,” he said in an apparent reference to possible irredentism on the part of Iran.

Mohammad Reza Ahmadi Sangari, another Iranian lawmaker, tweeted leaders of Baku have been “illusioned” by their Karabakh victory which was achieved by “Turkish doping.”

“The age of your small country is less than that of our youngest lawmaker,” he boasted, adding that the Azerbaijani lawmakers should not discredit themselves by targeting Iran.

These harsh words came after Iran’s low-key approach to resolving the dispute came to naught. The Iranian ambassador to Azerbaijan met several times with high-ranking officials in Baku. But the Azerbaijani lawmakers continued to make hostile remarks. 

Iran then dispatched military reinforcements to its borders with Azerbaijan in a clear show of force. In addition, Iran launched its own military drills in the region. Diplomatically, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian met with his Azerbaijani and Turkish counterparts on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York. 

Abdollahian and his Turkish counterpart Mevlüt Cavusoglu agreed on a trilateral meeting involving Iran, Azerbaijan Republic and Turkey in Tehran. Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov welcome the holding of the meeting in a meeting with Abdollahian.

Bayramov told Abdollahian that on behalf of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Shahin Mustafayev is ready to contact his Iranian counterpart within the two countries’ joint commission.

The Iranian foreign minister also said relations between Iran and the Republic of Azerbaijan are highly important.

Abdollahian also discussed with his Azerbaijani counterpart the facilitation of transit and traffic of Iranian trucks, as well as some consular issues, including two Iranian drivers detained by the Azerbaijani police. The two top diplomats agreed to resolve this issue through contacts between the two sides.

Abdollahian stressed that some third parties should not be allowed to affect the good relations between the two countries.

The Iranian foreign minister did not name these third parties. But MP Maleki said Israel seeks to change the equations in the South Caucasus region and that Azerbaijan should be wary of that. 

Also, Ayatollah Seyed Hassan Ameli, the representative of Iran’s Supreme Leader in Ardebil province, said Israel has come to Azerbaijan to hatch plots against Iran. The senior local cleric, who usually addresses Iran-Azerbaijan disputes in Friday prayers, said the drills conducted by the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) along the Iran-Azerbaijan borders send a message to Israel that it should not make any mistake. 

Iran has long expressed dismay over Israel’s growing influence in Azerbaijan which many Iranians see as aiming to Iran by fomenting separatist sentiments among Iran’s sizable ethnic Azeri Turk minority. Regardless of this influence, however, Tehran has always sought good neighborly relations with Baku. During the 44-day Karabakh war, Iran explicitly supported Azerbaijan’s bid to restore its territorial integrity. But despite this support, which was appreciated by the Azerbaijani government at the time, some in Baku tend to portray Iran as a supporter of Armenia, according to Ayatollah Ameli.  

Source: https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/465406/Iran-warns-of-third-parties-malign-influence-over-Tehran-Baku
 

WASHINGTON D.C. – By a vote of 316-113, the House of Representatives passed 5 pro-peace amendments to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for FY2022. The Senate is expected to take up the NDAA in the coming weeks.

In response to this news, ACA’s Washington D.C. representative Taniel Koushakjian stated “We commend the House of Representatives for adopting these significant, pro-democracy measures, especially all of the amendment sponsors for taking a strong stand against the war crimes committed by Azerbaijan’s armed forces against peaceful Armenians who are simply defending their right to live in peace. We urge Congress to ensure these measures and kept in the final adoption of the FY2022 NDAA.”

Amendment #21 to H.R. 4350 Creates a report on Azerbaijan’s activities in Nagorno Karabakh in 2020 to be submitted to the relevant congressional committees by the Secretary of Defense in consultation with the Secretary of State. Also expresses the Sense of Congress that the government of Azerbaijan should immediately return all Armenian prisoners of war and captured civilians. Urges the Administration to engage with Azerbaijani authorities, including through the OSCE Minsk Group, to make clear the importance of adhering to their obligations under the November 9 statement and international law to immediately release all prisoners of war and captured civilians.

Amendment #278 to H.R. 4350 Modifies the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act (Subtitle F of title XXI of PL 114-328) to authorize sanctions for serious human rights abuse, any violation of internationally recognized human rights, or corruption; adds two new reports to Congress; and repeals the sunset.

Amendment #325 to H.R. 4350 Requires a report from the Secretary of Defense, in collaboration with the Secretary of State, addressing allegations that some units of foreign countries that have participated in security cooperation programs under section 333 of title 10, U.S.C. may have also committed gross violations of internationally recognized human rights before or while receiving U.S. security assistance. This report would also includes recommendations to improve human rights training and additional measures that can be adopted to prevent these types of violations.

Amendment #431 to H.R. 4350 Requires a report by the Secretary of State on the activities of the Grey Wolves organization (AKA Bozkurtlar & Ülkü Ocaklari) undertaken against U.S. interests, allies, and international partners, including a review of the criteria met for designation as a foreign terrorist organization.

Amendment #449 to H.R. 4350 Requires a report within 180 days of all US humanitarian and developmental assistance programs in Nagorno Karabakh, including an analysis of the effectiveness of such programs and any plans for future assistance.

A new political scandal has broken in Turkey embroiling the country’s First Lady Emine Erdogan, who is accused of spending an estimated 1 million Turkish lire of tax-payer funds to publish and promote her cook book.

According to Turkish media outlet T24, Erdogan used 275,000 lire on publishing the book and 700,000 lire on promoting it, with funds from the Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism.

The scandal comes at a times where the average Turkish citizen is struggling financially, with the President’s wife  provoking recently again when she urged people living on the edge of poverty to reduce the food portions they consume!

Emine Erdogan’s book is entitled “Century’s Old Recipes of Turkish Cuisine”, stating in its introduction: “It is obvious that those who are at the forefront, in the world of taste, have won the hearts of the whole world.”

Turkey is increasing its practice of “whitewashing” its treatment of religious minorities, The Christian Post reported on Saturday.

Religious freedom advocates are issuing warnings over the country’s treatment of minorities while urging the U.S. State Department to designate Turkey as a country of particular concern, it said.

“The leadership, both religious and lay leadership of Turkey’s non-Muslim communities, are now expected to be willing and able players in whitewashing the regime’s persecution and crimes,” it cited Aykan Erdemir, senior director of the Turkey Program at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, as saying at the In Defense of Christians National Summit in Washington D.C.

Turkey’s Christians and Jews have been portrayed by the Turkish government as being fifth columnists, particularly after the failed coup attempt of July 2016.

Since the failed putsch, the deportation of Protestant faith leaders has picked up steam. Since 2016, Ankara has intensified its use of the N-82 code—designating foreign nationals as a national security threat—to deny entry or residence permits to Protestant faith leaders. Turkish authorities expelled 30 Protestants in 2020 and 35 the year before, according to the Times. 

Religious minorities in the country are being forced to “attend ceremonies or sign statements or play props in various window dressing attempts to show that the Erdogan government is 

tolerant, benevolent and embracing of minorities,” according to Erdemir.

Amy Austin Holmes, a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, cited an example of a Christian who remained behind to protect his family’s land while the rest of the family fled the Turkish-occupied Syrian city of Ras al-Ayn was pressured to take part in a propaganda campaign.

Turkey controls swathes of land in northern Syria, where Turkish-backed forces are accused of human rights violations targeting minorities.

Holmes called on Washington to “ensure that it is possible for everyone who fled from these areas to return, to regain their property, to receive compensation for the property that was stolen or damaged.”

Russian President Vladimir Putin has played an active role in resolving the armed conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh [(Artsakh)] in the fall of 2020, said Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev in an interview with National Defense Magazine.

“It was the evening of November 8. And on November 9, we agreed to have a phone conversation again, as Vladimir Vladimirovich [Putin] played a very active role in the events; he was conveying my messages to [Armenian PM Nikol] Pashinyan, and was conveying the messages from him to me. The agreement lasted until late at night and lasted until after midnight. It was November 10 in Baku time, so we call it the ‘November 10 statement,’ whereas it was [still] November 9 in Moscow,” Aliyev said.

According to him, the text of the trilateral statement on ceasefire was finally managed to be agreed.

Naturally, it was supposed to be signed, but Vladimir Vladimirovich asked me not to insist that Pashinyan sign it in our presence. The President of Russia is a very tactful person, very gentle, he treats everyone very respectfully. And I said that I will not insist, I do not need any additional moments related to the humiliation of Pashinyan, as it is not a humiliation of a person, but of a country, whereas we cannot allow that to ourselves,” the Azerbaijani president said.

Aliyev stated that he first told Putin about the war in Karabakh on October 7.

“Naturally, we were in regular contact with Russian President Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin at various phases of the hostilities. Our first telephone conversation since the start of the war took place on October 7, his birthday. I traditionally congratulate Vladimir Vladimirovich on his birthday. And this was our first phone contact from the moment when ten days had passed since the start of hostilities. We also discussed how and what to do to end the war,” the Azerbaijani president said.

The Artash war was planned and designed to fail it was Erdogan and Pashinyan false Flag operation

During his visit to the US, President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan touched upon the situation created in the South Caucasus.

“We have an option for cooperation that we refer to as the platform of five or six. Currently, we are receiving positive messages from Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan in regard to this platform. In this context, we envisage taking certain steps,” Erdogan stated.

According to him, this issue will be among the issues that he plans to discuss during his meeting with President of Russia Vladimir Putin.

“We will have the opportunity to see positive development of the issue of establishment of peace in the region. This is included in the agenda of issues that I will discuss with Mr. Vladimir Putin in late September. Thus, this will serve as a powerful impetus for the Turkish-Russian relations,” Erdogan said.

Washington, D.C. – Five decisive human rights and accountability amendments were adopted en bloc as part of the overall National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2022, known as bill H.R. 4350, reported the Armenian Assembly of America (Assembly).
In the aftermath of last Fall’s 44-day war launched by Azerbaijan with the full support of Turkey against the Armenian people of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh), the Assembly strongly advocated for and welcomed passage of the following amendments:

• Amendment #21 sponsored by Rep. Tony Cárdenas (D-CA), and cosponsored by Reps. Adam Schiff (D-CA), Jackie Speier (D-CA), Andy Levin (D-MI), Gus Bilirakis (R-FL), Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), Frank Pallone (D-NJ), Jan Schakowsky (D-IL), Brad Sherman (D-CA), David Valadao (R-CA), Judy Chu (D-CA), Anna Eshoo (D-CA), Katie Porter (D-CA), Young Kim (R-CA), Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL), and Dina Titus (D-NV): This amendment “creates a report on Azerbaijan’s activities in Nagorno Karabakh in 2020 to be submitted to the relevant congressional committees by the Secretary of Defense in consultation with the Secretary of State. Also expresses the Sense of Congress that the government of Azerbaijan should immediately return all Armenian prisoners of war and captured civilians. Urges the Administration to engage with Azerbaijani authorities, including through the OSCE Minsk Group, to make clear the importance of adhering to their obligations under the November 9 statement and international law to immediately release all prisoners of war and captured civilians.”

• Amendment #278 sponsored by House Rules Committee Chairman James McGovern (D-MA), and cosponsored by Reps. Tom Malinowski (D-NJ), Jamie Raskin (D-MD), Anna Eshoo (D-CA), Gerry Connolly (D-VA), Peter Welch (D-VT), Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX), Ted Lieu (D-CA), Norma Torres (D-CA), and Don Beyer (D-VA): This amendment “modifies the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act (Subtitle F of title XXI of PL 114-328) to authorize sanctions for serious human rights abuse, any violation of internationally recognized human rights, or corruption; adds two new reports to Congress; and repeals the sunset.”

• Amendment #325 sponsored by Rep. Frank Pallone (D-NJ), and cosponsored by Reps. Grace Meng (D-NY), Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), Gus Bilirakis (R-FL), Adam Schiff (D-CA), Jackie Speier (D-CA), Jim Costa (D-CA), Linda Sánchez (D-CA), Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), Anna Eshoo (D-CA), David Valadao (R-CA), Judy Chu (D-CA), and Abigail Spanberger (D-VA): This amendment “requires a report from the Secretary of Defense, in collaboration with the Secretary of State, addressing allegations that some units of foreign countries that have participated in security cooperation programs under section 333 of title 10, U.S.C. may have also committed gross violations of internationally recognized human rights before or while receiving U.S. security assistance. This report also includes recommendations to improve human rights training and additional measures that can be adopted to prevent these types of violations.”

• Amendment #431 sponsored by Rep. Dina Titus (D-NV), and cosponsored by Reps. Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), Young Kim (R-CA), Judy Chu (D-CA), Jim Costa (D-CA), and Anna Eshoo (D-CA): This amendment “requires a report by the Secretary of State on the activities of the Grey Wolves organization (AKA Bozkurtlar & Ülkü Ocaklari) undertaken against U.S. interests, allies, and international partners, including a review of the criteria met for designation as a foreign terrorist organization.”

• Amendment #449 sponsored by Rep. David Valadao (R-CA), and cosponsored by Reps. Brad Sherman (D-CA), Susan Wild (D-PA), Andy Levin (D-MI), Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), Young Kim (R-CA), Judy Chu (D-CA), Jim Costa (D-CA), Abigail Spanberger (D-VA), Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL), Katie Porter (D-CA), Frank Pallone (D-NJ), David Schweikert (R-AZ), David Trone (D-MD), and Don Beyer (D-VA): This amendment “requires a report within 180 days of all US humanitarian and developmental assistance programs in Nagorno Karabakh, including an analysis of the effectiveness of such programs and any plans for future assistance.”

Speaking in support of his amendment (#325), Rep. Frank Pallone (D-NJ) stated on the House floor that countries that violate human rights, such as Azerbaijan, which received over $100 million dollars in Fiscal Years 2018 and 2019, along with “equipment and training from the U.S. military,” and launched “a deadly attack against Nagorno-Karabakh/Artsakh on September 27 that led to the death of thousands and the displacement of so many more,” should not receive U.S. funding. “Passage of this amendment sends a clear signal that the U.S. takes seriously its democratic norms and commitment to peace by ensuring oversight of our security assistance,” said Rep. Pallone, noting that in the future there will be “restraint from aiding and tolerating similar regimes, especially when their actions are aimed at destabilizing a fellow democracy.” Assembly Executive Director Bryan Ardouny stated: “Taken together, these amendments represent a significant step forward in upholding human rights and demanding accountability for violations thereof. We also continue to call for the full enforcement of Section 907 of the Freedom Support Act in the face of Azerbaijan’s ongoing aggression against the Armenian people.” Ardouny added: “We welcome in particular the language calling for the immediate release of Armenian prisoners of war being held by Azerbaijan as well as the new reporting requirements, including future funding plans to help the people of Artsakh.”

Internet freedom in Armenia declined significantly as a result of restrictions on the free flow of information the government adopted during the armed conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh, The Freedom House said in its latest report “Freedom on the Net 2021.“

The survey gives countries a score out of 100 for the level of internet freedom enjoyed by citizens, including the extent to which they face restrictions on the content they can access.Other factors include whether pro-government trolls seek to manipulate online debates.

According to the US-based think tank, the implementation of martial law in late September 2020 placed broad restrictions on the media’s ability to report on the fighting, including by banning speech deemed to endanger national security, permitting authorities to demand content removal, and mandating fines for noncompliance. “A number of Turkish and Azerbaijani websites with .az and .tr domains were inaccessible for several weeks. Users also reported problems accessing TikTok. Prominent news sites also faced technical attacks, including distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks, leaving many of them temporarily inaccessible during the conflict. In a positive move, a measure that had required telecommunications companies to provide authorities with subscriber metadata in order to facilitate contact tracing, adopted in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, was lifted in September 2020 alongside a virus-related state of emergency,” said the document. 

It is noted that Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan pledged to deal with long-standing problems including systemic corruption, opaque policymaking, a flawed electoral system, and weak rule of law. However, despite the government’s reformist stance, concerns about political interference in the judiciary and hostile rhetoric toward the media from government officials persist. 

Iceland topped the ranking, followed by Estonia and Costa Rica, the world’s first country to declare internet access a human right. Armenia is ranked free in the report scoring 71 out of 100. 

US House passes amendment demanding immediate release of Armenian POWs

The U.S. House passed the Cardenas-Schiff-Sherman Amendment, demanding Azerbaijan’s immediate release of Armenian POWs, and calling for a report on Azerbaijani war crimes, including the use of illegal munitions and white phosphorus against Armenian civilians.

The amendment also requests an investigation into the use of U.S. technology in Turkish drones used to target Armenian civilians during the 2020 Artsakh war.

Joining Representatives Tony Cardenas (D-CA), Adam Schiff (D-CA) and Brad Sherman (D-CA) in cosponsoring the amendment were:

Rep. Jackie Speier (D-CA)
Rep. Andy Levin (D-MI)
Rep. Gus Bilirakis (R-FL)
Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-CA)
Rep. Frank Pallone (D-NJ)
Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-IL)
Rep. David Valadao (R-CA)
Rep. Judy Chu (D-CA)
Rep. Anna Eshoo (D-CA)
Rep. Katie Porter (D-CA)
Rep. Young Kim (R-CA)
Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL)
Rep. Dina Titus (D-NV)