Azerbaijan sentences Israeli-Russian blogger Lapshin to 3 years in prison

July 20, 2017 By administrator

Russian-Israeli blogger Alexander Lapshin, who is in Baku custody, has been sentenced to 3 years in prison by the Baku Court of Grave Crimes on Thursday, according to RIA Novosti.

Earlier, a state prosecutor demanded a 6.5-year prison term for the blogger.

To remind, Alexander Lapshin was extradited from Belarus to Azerbaijan in February, where he was wanted after visiting the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (NKR) and criticizing the Azerbaijani leadership.

Azerbaijani prosecutors launched a criminal case into “repeated public anti-state calls” and “illegal crossing of Azerbaijan’s state border,” punishable with a prison term of five to eight years.

The extradition and persecution against Lapshin was widely slammed by international community as a gross violation of human rights and fundamental freedoms of speech and movement.

US & Europe should investigate Azeri shipments of weapons to terrorists

July 12, 2017 By administrator

Harut Sassounian

By Harut Sassounian
The California Courier

A stunning investigation by Bulgarian reporter Dilyana Gaytandzhieva revealed that Azerbaijan’s state-run Silk Way Airlines has shipped under diplomatic cover 350 planeloads of heavy weapons and ammunition to terrorist groups around the world in the last three years! Azerbaijan asked the Foreign Ministries of various countries to issue a diplomatic exemption for these flights, allowing civilian planes to carry weapons which would normally be prohibited by the International Air Transport Association.

The reporter’s information is based on a large number of emails sent to her by an anonymous source: “The leaked files include correspondence between the Bulgarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Embassy of Azerbaijan to Bulgaria with attached documents for weapons deals and diplomatic clearance for overflight and/or landing in Bulgaria and many other European countries,” in addition to Syria, Iraq, the United States, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Turkey, and Israel, to name a few.

According to documents obtained by Gaytandzhieva, “Silk Way Airlines offered diplomatic flights to private companies and arms manufacturers from the US, the Balkans, and Israel, as well as to the militaries of Saudi Arabia, UAE, and US Special Operations Command (USSOCOM), and the military forces of Germany and Denmark in Afghanistan and of Sweden in Iraq. Diplomatic flights are exempt of checks, air bills, and taxes, meaning that Silk Way airplanes freely transported hundreds of tons of weapons to different locations around the world without regulation.”

The leaked documents also reveal that American weapons manufacturers had shipped over $1 billion of weapons through Silk Way Airlines. These were non-US standard weapons which means that they were not intended for use by U.S. forces. When Silk Way Airlines did not have enough available planes, Azerbaijan’s Air Force jets would transport the military shipments, Gaytandzhieva reported.

According to the U.S. federal contracts registry, in December 2014, the U.S. Special Operations Command signed a $26.7 million contract with the American company Purple Shovel. Bulgaria was listed as the country of origin for the shipped weapons and Azerbaijan’s Defense Ministry as the consignee. Another US company, Orbital ATK, received a contract for $250 million of non-US standard weapons.

Amazingly, the daring Bulgarian reporter went to Aleppo, Syria, in December of last year where she “found and filmed 9 underground warehouses full of heavy weapons with Bulgaria as their country of origin. They were used by Al Nusra Front (Al Qaeda affiliate in Syria designated as a terrorist organization by the UN).”

Gaytandzhieva discovered that just in April and May of 2017, Azerbaijan’s Air Force jets transported 282 tons of grenades on 10 diplomatic flights.

Another major purchaser of non-US standard weapons is Saudi Arabia which cannot use these weapons for its own defense as they are not compatible with its arsenal of western weapons. In 2016 and 2017, there were 23 diplomatic flights carrying weapons from Bulgaria, Serbia and Azerbaijan to Jeddah and Riyadh. These weapons were transported to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia through Silk Way Airlines and ended up in the hands of militants in Syria and Yemen that Saudi Arabia officially admits supporting, according to Gaytandzhieva.

On April 28 and May 12 of this year, Silk Way Airlines carried out two diplomatic flights from Baku to Burgas-Jeddah-Brazzaville (Republic of Congo). The military cargo on board both flights was paid for by Saudi Arabia. The aircraft was loaded with mortars and anti-tank grenades. These very same weapons were discovered by the Iraqi army a month ago in an Islamic State warehouse in Mosul. It is not surprising that Islamic State terrorists have displayed these weapons in their propaganda videos, according to Gaytandzhieva.

The same situation existed with the shipment of Coyote machine guns which appeared on propaganda videos posted online by militant groups in Syria. These weapons were transported on a diplomatic flight via Turkey and Saudi Arabia a few months earlier. There are many other examples of such shipments that ended up in the hands of terrorists, including some shipments sponsored by United Arab Emirates.

In February and March 2017, Saudi Arabia received 350 tons of weapons on Silk Way Airlines’ diplomatic flights originating from Baku. The cargo included 27,350 pieces of 128-mm rockets and 10,000 pieces of 122 mm. Grad rockets.

Some of these shipments were paid in cash which may account for the huge amount of wealth accumulated by Pres. Aliyev and his family.

Just as concerning are the shipments of large quantities (around 200 tons) of white phosphorus which could be deadly. Ironically, Azerbaijan, which possesses white phosphorus, accuses Armenia of using it in the Artsakh conflict.

This is not just another article which should be read and forgotten! The US Congress and European governments should hold hearings and investigate these huge shipments of weapons, most of which are destined for terrorists in the Middle East and elsewhere.

Azerbaijani aggression tantamount to ISIS-style violence – Nalbandian

July 10, 2017 By administrator

Azerbaijan’s recent attacks along the Nagorno-Karabakh frontline were tantamount to the atrocities committed by the Islamic State terrorists in the Middle East, Armenia’s foreign minister said in Chisinau, Moldova,

In his speech at an informal meeting of the Eastern Partnership member states’ foreign ministers, Edward Nalbandian also condemned the Azerbaijan authorities for using their civilian population as a human shield for provoking violence in the conflict zone.

He added that the Nagorno-Karabakh Defense Army had to take a retaliatory action amid the escalating tension on July 4 to push back the adversary and ensure its self-defense.

“As long as Azerbaijan fails to abide by its international commitments under 1994-1995 trilateral ceasefire agreements, refuses to implement the Vienna and St. Petersburg Summit commitments, especially on the creation of the mechanism for investigation of the ceasefire violations, that can become also a mechanism for prevention, the Azerbaijani leadership bears full responsibility for all consequences,” Nalbandian said, according to the Foreign Ministry’s press service.

Google Earth markings indicate Azerbaijan shootings at Armenia settlements Video

July 6, 2017 By administrator

YEREVAN. – Results of the fact-finding which were conducted by the Human Rights Defender (Ombudsman) of Armenia, Arman Tatoyan, and his staff—and at Baghanis, Voskevan, Voskepar and Koti border villages in Tavush Province—have been posted on a common access map.

The respective Google Earth markings indicate the Armenian civilian settlements which the Azerbaijani armed forces targeted—the houses, buildings, and constructions that were fired at—from April to June, the Ombudsman’s office informed Armenian News-NEWS.am.

The fact-finding results were presented in Armenian and English.

Azerbaijan under cover of 350 “diplomatic flights” would have delivered weapons to Islamic State reveals a Bulgarian newspaper supporting evidence

July 5, 2017 By administrator

Azerbaijan islamic state main arm supplier Azerbaijan has played an important role in the supply of weapons to Daech (the Islamic State) with 350 “diplomatic flights” from Azerbaijan on planes loaded with weapons and ammunition to power Daech. Thus Baku would have supported the Islamist state. It is the Bulgarian newspaper with a large circulation, “Troud”, which reveals the information by claiming to have evidence of this supply of arms to Daech by Azerbaijan. It was by Azerbaijan airline Silk Way Airlines that secret flights under diplomatic cover were being sent to Islamic terrorist groups in Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan and Congo.

Thus the Azerbaijani diplomatic network would have served as a cover for these missions of illegal arms delivery by Azerbaijan to Islamic groups. The investigative journalists of the Bulgarian newspaper “Troud” with the hackers managed to “break” the Internet network of the Azerbaijan Embassy in Sofia (Bulgaria) in order to seize the secret documents confirming these deliveries of weapons. Baku to Daech. Documents made available to the public. These documents testify that these practices of deliveries of arms to Daech had also been put in place through other Azeri embassies.

David Babayan, spokesman for the Government of the Republic of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) told Radiolour that Azerbaijan’s ties with Daech were known. As it was also known that the wounded fighters of Daech received regular care in Baku. Sergei Minassian, an Armenian political scientist, calls on the international community “to learn more about the actions of Azerbaijan”. Wednesday 5 July 2017,

Krikor Amirzayan © armenews.com

Karabakh MFA: Peaceful population on both sides of border has long become a hostage to Azerbaijan’s policy

July 5, 2017 By administrator

Karabakh MFA, Azerbaijan STEPANAKERT. – In the evening of July 4, 2017, the Azerbaijani side committed yet another provocation, firing at the territory of the Republic of Artsakh, Karabakh Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

The statement reads as follows:

“For the first time since the April aggression in 2016, the armed forces of Azerbaijan employed TR-107 multiple rocket launcher system. The fire was launched from the positions located in close proximity to residential buildings in Alkhanlu village․

The Defense Army of Artsakh was forced to take counter-measures to suppress the fire activity of the Azerbaijani army. The incident provoked by the Azerbaijani side, unfortunately, led to casualties among the villagers.

Since the April aggression up to now, we have repeatedly drawn attention to the fact that the Azerbaijani side, in violation of all the norms of international humanitarian law, does not disdain to use its civilian population as a human shield for shelling the territory of Artsakh.

The peaceful population on both sides of the border has long become a hostage to the Azerbaijani authorities’ policy of constant escalation of tensions on the Line of Contact between the armed forces of Artsakh and Azerbaijan and sabotaging the efforts of the mediators to restore the negotiation process.

The incident once again confirms the importance of the agreements reached at the summits of May 16, 2016 in Vienna and of June 20, 2016 in St. Petersburg, aimed at the stabilization of the situation on the Line of Contact. The immediate implementation of these agreements, torpedoed by Azerbaijan, will allow to prevent the recurrence of such incidents in the future.”

Azerbaijan-Belarus cooperation conflicts with Armenia’s interests – analyst

June 29, 2017 By administrator

Azerbaijan and Belarus are developing not only economic but also political cooperation, which does not absolutely meet Armenia’s interests, a political analyst said Wednesday, commenting on a recent bilateral arrangement signed on the sidelines of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly.
Speaking to Tert.am, Armen Badalyan also noted that the deal should not be treated as something very logical in the light of the two countries’ long history of partnership.

“If you remember, the Belarusian president was honored with a medal by [Azerbaijani President] Ilham Aiyev. And thereby [Alexander] Lukashenko promised to ‘justify’ his honor,” he told Tert.am.

The expert cited the deep economic ties as a key reason behind the close cooperation. He noted that Belarus repeatedly before aided Azerbaijan, with Azerbaijan mutually providing financial assistance to the country.

“Even within the frameworks of the CSTO [Collective Security Treaty Organization] – of which Azerbaijan is a member – we have numerously seen the impact and product of this cooperation. Very often, it had an underlying pretext, which was the policy of not defending Russia. Being under Russian influence and pressures, Belarus many times received assistance from Azerbaijan. Therefore, this is not only an economic but also a political cooperation,” he added.

Meantime, Badalyan did not rule out the possibility of anti-Armenian processes and initiatives attracting Belarus as a supporting country.

“Azerbaijan uses and will use any international platform to pass resolutions against Armenia. And there are high chances that Belarus will vote in favor of those measures,” he noted.

Armenian defense minister: At least 8 Azeri soldiers killed in Karabakh’s punitive action

June 28, 2017 By administrator

At least eight Azeri soldiers were killed during the 10 days that followed Azerbaijan’s provocations on the line of contact with Nagorno Karabakh, Armenian defense minister Vigen Sargsyan told a press conference on Wednesday, June 28.

Sargsyan added that the number of unconfirmed losses is even bigger as the Armenian side is sometimes unable to obtain relevant evidence after successfully carrying out punitive steps.

“According to the information we have, none of those eight soldiers have been buried so far,” the minister said.

“Azerbaijani media haven’t been reporting on the matter, and this is all we need to know about our rival.”

As a result of Azerbaijan’s sabotage on the contact line on June 16-17, four servicemen of the Karabakh Defense Army were killed.

Also, the defense minister ruled out the resumption of a large-scale war as the Karabakh conflict would not be settled anyway.

report by PanARMENIAN.Net

Azerbaijan Employs Four Lobbying and PR firms

June 27, 2017 By administrator

Azerbaijan Employs Four Lobbying and PR firms by Harut Sassounian, Publisher, The California Courier · June 27, 2017

After identifying the lobbying and PR firms hired by the government of Turkey, we now report on four similar firms hired by Azerbaijan.

By observing Azerbaijan’s devious approach to foreign relations, I have noticed the following pattern:

1) Whatever actions Armenian-Americans take for their causes, Azerbaijan seeks to emulate and counter them in the United States through its hired companies. Pres. Aliyev in a 2013 speech stated that Azerbaijan’s “main enemy is the Armenian lobby.” He also stated: “the Armenian lobby day and night is trying to slander Azerbaijan, to undermine its authority. They have broad financial resources. They are closely connected with the authorities of their countries where they donate to the legislators under the name of ‘lobbying.’ But, in fact, it is a bribe. Thus the Armenian lobby is at the forefront of an organized campaign against us.” In his lengthy diatribe, Pres. Aliyev falsely ascribes to Armenians the persistent bribing campaign carried out by his own government around the world.

2) Azerbaijan follows the footsteps of Turkey’s more experienced officials in its policies on Armenia and Armenian issues, including the denial of the Armenian Genocide and accusing Armenians for the crimes committed by Azerbaijan and Turkey. Regrettably, Azerbaijan has been also emulating Turkey in the repression of its own citizens, making it difficult to determine which of the two countries is more autocratic.

3) The government of Azerbaijan, realizing its tarnished image in the West due to widespread human rights violations, has hired PR and lobbying firms to whitewash its negative reputation. One would expect a regime that is so concerned about its poor image overseas that it would improve its human rights record at home, so it does not need to waste millions of dollars on American firms to carry out the impossible task of cleansing its image. In his 2013 speech, Pres. Aliyev wishfully described Azerbaijan as a “modern, progressive, open, tolerant country.” Who can be fooled by such outright lies?

The government of Azerbaijan has hired dozens of PR and lobbying firms over the years. However, at this time, it employs only four such firms.

1) Podesta Group, Inc., is paid $45,000 a month by Azerbaijan to “research and analyze issues of concern to [Azerbaijan]; counsel [Azerbaijan] on U.S. policies of concern, activities in Congress and the executive branch, and developments on the U.S. political scene generally; and maintain contact, if necessary, with members of Congress and their staff and executive branch officials, media and non-governmental organizations.”

2) SOCAR USA (U.S. subsidiary of the State Oil Company of Azerbaijan) pays Roberti White LLC $125,000 to “research and analyze issues of concern to [Azerbaijan]; counsel [Azerbaijan] on U.S. policies of concern, activities in Congress and the Executive branch, and developments on the U.S. political scene generally; and maintain contact, as necessary, with members of Congress and their staff, executive branch officials, members of the press, and non-governmental organizations.” It is not surprising that the description of the functions performed by Roberti White for SOCAR USA is identical to the ones performed by Podesta Group, Inc., for the government of Azerbaijan.

3) BGR Government Affairs, LLC is paid $50,000 a month by the Embassy of Azerbaijan in Washington, D.C., to provide “strategic guidance and counsel with regard to government affairs and public relations activity within the U.S. This may include relevant outreach to U.S. government officials, non-government organizations, members of the media and other individuals within the U.S.”

4) The Tool Shed Group LLC, originally headquartered in Woodland Hills, California, now relocated to Parker, Colorado, was hired by the Consulate of Azerbaijan in Los Angeles in 2009 for a period of four months for a flat fee of $35,000. The Tool Shed Group now also represents the Republic of Azerbaijan. Since then the contract has been renewed every six months. Tool Shed is led by Jason Katz, former Director of Public Relations and Public Affairs for the American Jewish Committee. Tool Shed provides “consulting services to the Consulate, including organizing briefings/lectures; facilitating meetings with community members, elected and appointed officials, and business leaders; write and disseminate op-eds.”

Recently, the Consulate General of Azerbaijan in Los Angeles disseminated to all Consulates in Los Angeles, and probably many others, a color brochure entitled, “Nagorno-Karabakh: Background and Facts.” This 16-page propaganda piece, full of misrepresentations about Artsakh, most likely was prepared by The Tool Shed Group, Azerbaijan’s and its consulate’s PR and lobbying firm. At the end of page 16, there is a note which states: “Published by the Consulate General of Azerbaijan in Los Angeles.” It is interesting that this sentence does not indicate who prepared the brochure, but simply who published it!

Israel unveils tactical missile first used by Azerbaijan against Christian Karabakh

June 26, 2017 By administrator

Israel, azerbaijan Israel’s Rafael Advanced Defense Systems has unveiled new fifth-generation Spike missiles at the Paris Air Show, which are already used by Azerbaijan in the Nagorno Karabakh conflict, Jerusalem Online reports.

A video released in May showed the guided missile being launched and then partially destroying an Armenian military objective.

Following Azerbaijan’s provocations, the co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group in a statement gave an assessment of the current situation on the Karabakh line of contact, addressed to Azerbaijan. The French, Russian and U.S. ambassadors cited “information collected from multiple reliable sources” which proved that Azerbaijan initiated the latest escalation on the contact line.

The new missile, called the Spike LR II or Spike 2, has a range of up to 5.5 kilometers when launched from the ground and a range of 10 kilometers when launched from a fighter jet. Successfully tested in Israel, the Spike LR II missiles are already being used in the Azerbaijan-Armenia conflict.

The missile weighs only 12.7 kilograms and can be launched from any Spike system. It possesses advanced artificial intelligence capabilities, increased abilities to destroy buildings and armor and the ability to deal with reactive and active reinforcements on an armored fighting vehicle.

According to foreign reports, Hezbollah also possesses this type of anti-aircraft battery.