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Australian politician: Azerbaijan deserves condemnation, not Formula 1

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Member of the New South Wales Legislative Council, Amanda Fazio has called out Azerbaijan’s aggression toward the Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh and the Republic of formula1Armenia, stating that it doesn’t deserve the hosting rights to a Formula 1 Grand Prix in 2016.

Fazio, who visited Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh in July 2013, delivered a statement on the floor of the NSW Legislative Council highlighting the ongoing aggression by Azerbaijan and the war-mongering by President Ilham Aliyev, the serious human rights abuses within that country and the need for the international community to take a far stronger position on condemning Azerbaijan’s aggression, Armenian National Committee of Australia reported.

“The recent decision to allow Azerbaijan to host a Formula 1 Grand Prix in 2016 should be rescinded,” Fazio exclaimed. “The awarding of this race to a country which acts as an aggressor in the region and has an appalling record on human rights defies logic.”

She added: “The list of human rights violations regularly perpetrated by the Azerbaijani authorities is long and includes clamping down on the right to freedom of expression, assembly and association including persecution of activists, arresting them on trumped up charges and denying them the right to a fair trial.”

“It is time the international community took a stand against the unnecessary aggression and repression of human rights being exerted by the government of Azerbaijan,” Fazio concluded.

Over the past two weeks Azerbaijan has intensified its aggression towards Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh, which has resulted in a large number of casualties. President Aliyev has gone as far as declaring war via a series messages sent via the social media website, Twitter.

Executive Director of the Armenian National Committee of Australia (ANC Australia), Vache Kahramanian, welcomed Fazio’s statement. He remarked: “Once again Ms Fazio has taken the moral high ground in defending the people of Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh.”

The Parliament of Australia’s largest state of New South Wales recognised the Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh and its right to self-determination in a unanimous motion in October 2012.

Caroline Cox: Let’s not forget that Azerbaijan was aggressor in war; Karabakh can never accept Azerbaijan’s sovereignty!

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By Nvard Chalikyan

Azerbaijan has recently intensified the ceasefire breaches, mounting attacks not only on the territory of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic but also the Republic of Armenia, cox-karabakgclaiming that it has the right to establish control over Nagorno Karabakh by military means. As Azerbaijani propaganda continues to distort facts presenting Azerbaijan as a victim and Armenia as an aggressor, there is a need to once again recall the actual realities of the conflict and who is responsible for the current situation. On this issue Panorama.am has spoken to member of the British House of Lords Barones Cox who personally visited the region for over 60 times during the war and together with an international group of experts thoroughly studied the situation on the ground.

Commenting on Azerbaijani propaganda which presents Azerbaijan as victim to Armenian aggression, Caroline Cox said, “First of all I would never say Armenians are aggressors, that is a lie – it was Azerbaijan that attempted ethnic cleansing of the Armenians from Nagorno Karabakh back in 1991-1992, it was Azerbaijan that unleashed ferocious military offensive against the civilians in Nagorno Karabakh – for instance in the capital of Nagorno Karabakh Stepanakert we observed 400 grad missiles a day fired by the Azeris on the civilians. It was Azerbaijan who committed war crimes and crimes against humanity by carrying out massacre of civilians in the village of Maraga.”

Asked whether she thinks that Nagorno Karabakh, because of continuous genocidal policies of Azerbaijan against Armenians, qualifies as an exceptional case in which international law grants the right to secession and independence (as it was the case with Kosovo) Baroness Cox replied, “Yes, it does qualify as such. I believe that the Armenians of Karabakh can never again accept sovereignty by Azerbaijan because they have been subjected to attempted genocide and ethnic cleansing. There is much evidence on this. President of Azerbaijan Elchibey has explicitly declared, “If there is a single Armenian left in Karabakh, the people of Azerbaijan can hang me in the central square of Baku”. This is a very clear and explicit policy of elimination of Armenians from Nagorno Karabakh – that amounts to ethnic cleansing and genocide. This was a war against civilians which was completely unacceptable in which many atrocities were carried out. Me and my colleague made a publication way back in 1990s giving a lot of evidence of Azerbaijan aggression against the Armenians in Karabakh in what we called “Ethnic cleansing in progress: War in Nagorno Karabakh”.  We were there as eyewitnesses many times in the war and I believe that Armenians in Karabakh have as much right for consideration of independence as the people of Kosovo.”

Commenting on the current negotiation process Baroness Cox highlighted the need for the people of Nagorno Karabakh to be involved in the process, as it is their future which is at stake. She also said that there would need to be very very serious security guarantees for the Armenian side if a peace deal is concluded. Regarding the position of the parties Cox said “I think the Armenian position is a very reasonable one while it is Azerbaijan who refuses to cede. I wish Azerbaijan would undertake some confidence building measures instead of going on to escalate the hostile propaganda.”

“My heart is always with the Armenian people who has suffered too much and too long. I have respect for the courage of your people and I say ‘thank you’ for you have become an example of freedom for the rest of the world against the attempted ethnic cleansing,” added Baroness Cox in conclusion.

By Nvard Chalikyan

Congressional opposition to Baku’s escalating aggression grows

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The Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA), amid growing Congressional opposition to Baku’s escalating aggression, is calling directly upon the Obama stopaliyevAdministration for U.S. leadership in stopping Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev’s march toward war.

The ANCA’s Aram Hamparian and Kate Nahapetian, on Aug 8, held a discussion with ambassador James Warlick, the U.S. Co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group dealing with resolution of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict, to press the U.S. government to meaningfully challenge and materially constrain ‪Azerbaijan’s reckless march toward war.

During this meeting, the ambassador was given a letter from ANCA Chairman Ken Hachikian, which noted that “President Aliyev’s most recent wave of fatal cross-border attacks against Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh has cost dozens of lives and seriously undermined the vital work of the OSCE Minsk Group.” ‬

Hachikian warned that: “All indications are that, unless stopped, this undemocratic and unaccountable dictator will act on his threats to start a full-scale Caucasus war, one that will visit vast death and destruction upon all the peoples of the region, likely leading to a wider and even more dangerous conflict.”

He closed by stressing that: “With sufficiently strong American leadership, the Minsk Group can get the peace process back on track, by unequivocally condemning Azerbaijan’s military attacks and then by leading an international campaign to secure Baku acceptance of OSCE proposals, already backed by Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh, to pull-back snipers and add observers.” The full letter is available online.

“We join with Armenian Americans and all those around the world who seek peace in thanking Members of Congress for seeking to restrain President Aliyev’s aggression and reverse Azerbaijan’s march toward war,” said ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian.

Among the recent Congressional expressions of concern on this topic are the following:

Rep. Brad Sherman (D-CA): “I am deeply saddened by the recent reports of escalated violence on the Nagorno Karabakh and Armenia border and the deaths of several Armenian and Azeri soldiers. I am taken aback by Azerbaijan’s attacks on Red Cross staff in a border village in Armenia and Baku’s decision to use sniper rifles in this conflict after several years of respecting the decision by both sides to refrain from doing so. It is my sincere hope that Azerbaijan will abstain from further sniper attacks and instead engage in meaningful resolution talks with Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh.”

Rep. David Cicilline (D-RI): “I am deeply troubled by the resurgence of fighting in Nagorno Karabakh and hope Armenia and Azerbaijan can find a resolution to restore peace. I strongly condemn the use of sniper attacks by the Azerbaijani government, which is in direct violation of the cease-fire agreement and international law, and am appalled by reports that Azerbaijan forces attacked a Red Cross envoy. This continued aggression will only bring unrest and risks jeopardizing a cease-fire agreement that was put in place over 20 years ago. As both Presidents Sargsyan and Aliyev prepare to travel to Russia, I hope Azerbaijan will agree to stop these attacks to defuse the escalating violence and prevent the further loss of life.”

Rep. Judy Chu (D-CA) [Tweet]: “I’m deeply concerned about incidents of violence against Nagorno-#Karabakh by #Azerbaijan. A long-term solution requires peace & diplomacy.”

Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA): “For two decades, the people of Nagorno Karabakh have lived with constant threats and sniper fire from Azerbaijan, which seeks to reassert control over the overwhelmingly Armenian population of the region. Last week, Azeri forces again attacked across the Line of Contact, resulting in casualties on both sides. This latest resort to violence must be condemned in the strongest terms, and America should call upon the Azeri government to withdraw its forces and renounce the use of snipers, especially against civilians, and all American military assistance should be suspended until Azerbaijan does so.

Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan and Azeri President Ilham Aliyev plan to meet starting tomorrow, but if their talks are to have any chance of bearing fruit, President Aliyev is going to adopt a sharply different tone from his remarks of late, when he asserted that Azerbaijan had the means to destroy ‘any facility in Nagorno Karabakh’ and again trumpeted his country’s military prowess.

Since breaking free of a regime that encouraged violence and pogroms against its Armenian Christian citizens, the people of Nagorno Karabakh have sought to build democracy and a market economy at home. Baku has responded with an oil-boom funded military build-up and a campaign of bellicose rhetoric and has so imbued its citizens with blood lust against Armenians, that an Azeri army captain who beheaded a sleeping Armenian colleague during a NATO Partnership for Peace exercise was treated as a hero and promoted to major after his transfer from a Hungarian prison in 2012. Now is the time for the Minsk Group to assert itself in this long-running and increasingly dangerous dispute. The people of Nagorno-Karabakh have the right to determine their own future, free from Azeri threats and violence, and they also have the right to go about their lives without fear of being shot in the back by a sniper.”

Rep. Jackie Speier (D-CA): “The increased military aggression by Azerbaijan toward Armenians and its use of snipers to shoot at Armenian civilians and even the International Committee of the Red Cross in Armenia must be condemned. These actions by Azerbaijan are violations of international law and a long-standing ceasefire. Against all odds, the Armenian people of Nagorno Karabakh have succeeded in creating a democratic society that upholds peace and justice. They have fought back against attacks to their society and for their very right to exist. The international community must stand with them to stop Azerbaijan’s march toward war.”

Rep. Tony Cardenas (D-CA) [Tweet]: “Saddened by deaths of Armenian & Azeri troops & attacks on RedCross staff. I hope for no further violence & for peace & diplomacy in future.”

The ANCA has organized a #StopAliyev social media campaign that has attracted widespread interest and support.

The Huffington Post: Aliyev clan runs Azerbaijan as personal bank account

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While Syria burns, Gaza explodes and al Qaeda captures another Iraqi town, another full-blown conflict threatens to further destabilize the Middle East, this one between 181540Armenia and Azerbaijan. For months now, Ilham Aliyev, one of the worst dictators alive, has been indiscriminately shelling the Republic of Nagorno Karabakh, says an article in The Huffington Post.

“The Aliyev clan has run Azerbaijan as if it were its own personal bank account and backyard for the past twenty some years. Armenian leadership over the same period has not been ideal either: corrupt and megamoniacal, it has however avoided the type of morally bankrupt hereditary dictatorship that the Aliyev clan has imposed on their country. Needless to say the Aliyevs have become billionaires several times over while their own people have seen only limited benefits from its booming oil trade,” Christopher Atamian says in the piece titled “As Conflict Escalates, Dictator Ilham Aliyev Needs to Be Stopped.”

“Serzh Sargsyan, the President of Armenia, is short and squat and wily in appearance; Aliyev is tall and gangly and with an empty open stare that suggests an absence of what Agatha Christie’s famed detective Hercule used to call little grey cells. Worse than his perceived lack of intelligence, Aliyev continues to lie to his people about the causes of the ongoing Nagorno Karabakh conflict. He insists on painting the Armenians as aggressors and the Azeris as historical inhabitants of Artsakh out to innocently defend their lands; the exact opposite is the case. Aliyev, who has falsely claimed that he has triumphed over Armenia politically and economically and that he can do so militarily as well continues to watch his own soldiers die in numbers which exceed Armenian casualties. As if his own people they were mere flies, expendable in some futile attempt to regain land over which it has no legitimate claim,” Atamian says.

“Russia, which arms both Armenia and Azerbaijan, may of course be at the heart of recent hostilities. Putin may well be attempting to kill two proverbial birds with one stone, threatening the West with the possibility of a new regional conflict, while also trying to convince Armenians that they need Russian protection. Russia has never been Armenia’s true friend and it is certainly not Azerbaijan’s — if Putin had his way, he’d turn both countries back into Russian — scratch Soviet Union provinces or Republics,” the author presumes.

He goes on to say: “Azeris need to understand that Aliyev is not only a vicious dictator, but that his current policies will ultimately lead to the demise of this regime and country. The Armenians and Azeris have one mutual advantage: unlike the Israelis and the Palestinians, for example, who live in a patchwork of territories within each other’s respective lands (i.e. there are Israeli Arabs within the borders of Israel: Gaza and the West Bank as a pairing make little geographical sense), Armenia and Azerbaijan today have one neat border: Armenians on one side, Azeris on the other.”

“Azerbaijan needs to cease its hostilities towards Armenia and lift its unilateral blockade of the country (as does Turkey, but that is another not wholly unrelated story). Armenian and Azeri civil societies need to begin substantive cultural and educational exchanges. Aliyev and his henchmen need to stop their propaganda campaign against Armenia domestically and abroad: it fools few foreigners while it brainwashes its own people,” he says.

In other words, Atamian says, a true peace process needs to occur.

“The United States and Russia — or the current OSCE Minsk Group — should accelerate their efforts in this direction before it is too late. Let’s put an end to historical or territorial recriminations. They make no sense in this case. Both Azerbaijan and Armenia have enough territory to survive and prosper. And without each other, neither country will reach its true potential — economic or otherwise. If hawks such as Aliyev can be overthrown or the Azeris finally see reason, then Azerbaijan and Armenia, along with their joint neighbor Georgia can form an economic corridor that would be a shining example to the world. The alternative — war and more death — is not a pretty option to ponder. Cautious optimism may be in order since Presidents Sargsyan and Aliyev met with Putin in light of recent events on August 10 and agreed that the conflict needs to be resolved peacefully,” he says.

“Finally, as an aside, I would like to say that I am a pacifist. I do not believe in violence, which history has taught us only begets more violence. But there are facts on the ground. NKR will l never return to Azerbaijan, willingly or otherwise. It is time to build peace. Time for Armenians, Azeris, Georgians and Turks to bring prosperity to the Caucasus together. Like it or not the four countries, along with Iran to the South, share more things in common than they do differences. True courage on the part of Presidents Sargsyan and Aliyev will bring them to the negotiation table, in an earnest desire to resolve this conflict, once and for all,” the author concludes.

Turkic Groups Fund Questionable Congressional Trips to Azerbaijan

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BY HARUT SASSOUNIAN

harut-sassounian-300x297The international media is replete these days with scandalous stories about European and American politicians being wined and dined in Azerbaijan and Turkey, for self-serving ulterior motives.

The latest such exposé, published by the Houston Chronicle on July 27, was titled: “Congress members’ trips raise red flags.” The article revealed that five Turkic non-profit groups spent $274,459 for the lavish travel of 10 members of Congress and 35 staffers to Azerbaijan in May 2013. The funds were contributed by:

– Turquoise Council of Americans and Eurasians (Houston): $101,680
– Turkish American Federation of the Midwest (Chicago): $68,324
– Turkic American Alliance (Washington, DC): $52,975
– Turkic American Federation of the Southeast (Atlanta): $26,550
– Council of Turkic American Associations (New York): $24,930

The 10 members of Congress travelling to Baku on all-expenses-paid trip were:
– Danny Davis (D-IL): $24,084
– Ruben Hinojosa (D-TX): $19,962
– Jim Bridenstine (R-OK): $14,173
– Ted Poe (R-TX): $13,431
– Steve Stockman (R-TX): $13,431
– Michelle Lujan Grisham (D-NM): $12,780
– Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX): $12,034
– Leonard Lance (R-NJ): $9,798
– Yvette Clark (D-NY): $8,701
– Gregory Meeks (D-NY): $6,431

The actual purpose of the congressional trip was to attend a conference sponsored in part by SOCAR (Azerbaijan’s national oil company) which along with one of its partners, NIOC (Iran’s national oil company), was embarking on a $28 billion project to develop the Shah Deniz gas field. It was no coincidence that the junket was organized at a time when Congress was considering additional sanctions against Iran. The Azeris and their Iranian partners desperately needed an exemption from Congress to carry out their mega-project. Not surprisingly, less than two months after the congressional delegation’s return from its extravagant trip, the House of Representatives went along and approved the sought after exemption!

The Houston Chronicle explained the speedy approval of this bill by a usually slow-moving Congress by the fact that “SOCAR, along with other Azeri government interests, has become one of Washington, D.C.’s big spenders in efforts to win American allies to get its petroleum products to markets worldwide…. Lobbyists, the Azeri government and energy companies all participated in the elaborate Baku gathering” at the plush Heydar Aliyev Center with Pres. Ilham Aliyev as keynote speaker. “At least four congressmen took along a spouse or a fiancé. Some flew first-class and extended their trips with stays in luxury hotels in Turkey. The congressional travel tabs alone totaled $270,000.”

Interestingly, the Turquoise Council of Americans and Eurasians, the main organizer of the visit, “did not disclose any corporate support or foreign government assistance for the Baku congressional trips,” as required by Federal law, the Chronicle reported. The five Turkic non-profit organizations and 10 Members of Congress may have violated congressional ethics rules and federal law by not disclosing corporate donations for the trip, the Chronicle stated.

Records show that Cong. Meeks “did not disclose his Baku trip expenses until a year after the deadline,” the Chronicle disclosed. Moreover, Cong. Stockman had received an additional $5,000 in campaign contributions in three installments, during the same month as the trip, from Kemal Oksuz, president of the Turquoise Council, who leads two non-profits that share the same address in Houston. “Both groups were identified as sponsors or organizers of the Baku conference, and both have accepted money from SOCAR. One group, the Assembly of the Friends of Azerbaijan, operates as a U.S.-based public relations arm of SOCAR,” according to the Chronicle.

Oksuz reportedly told an American journalist in Baku that the oil conference had cost $1.5 million. He also said that some guests had received hand-woven rugs as gifts — which would be a violation, if not reported to proper U.S. authorities.

The Chronicle revealed that “many of those non-profits are led by followers of Fetullah Gulen, a moderate Turkish ex-Imam who lives in exile in an enclave in Pennsylvania…. Collectively, Turkic groups have funded 272 foreign trips for members of Congress and their staffs from 2009-2013″ to Azerbaijan and Turkey.

In addition to its eye-opening investigative article, the Houston Chronicle published a blistering editorial, chiding the 10 members of Congress for “being distressingly naïve or disgustingly corrupt,” and in return for “a few well-placed donations,” serving the interests of Azerbaijan, “a corrupt kleptocracy ruled by the Aliyev family, which lines its pockets while keeping political dissent firmly quashed.”

Azerbaijan reports ‘sudden death’ of Armenian captive

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PanARMENIAN.Net – Armenian captive Karen Petrosyan ‘died suddenly’ in Baku on Friday, Aug 8, after what Azerbaijan said was a cardiovascular collapse.

181423Resident of Armenian border village of Chinari (Tavush province) Petrosyan was captured Thursday. Being not sober, he presumably lost his way and crossed the border when searching for wood. According to some Armenian media reports, Petrosyan, often drank to excess.

Azerbaijan branded Petrosyan, who can hardly read and write, a saboteur.

It’s noteworthy that the photos taken immediately after the captivity show the 31-year-old man in sportswear. However, afterwards, he got into khaki. Besides, Azerbaijanis said they found pictures of weapons in his cell phone.

Meanwhile, head of Chinari village administration said Petrosyan’s phone was outdated and didn’t even have a camera.

Azerbaijani drone downed in Nagorno-Karabakh – report

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droneAn Azerbaijani drone was downed by Armenian forces in Nagorno-Karabakh, a source told Hetq.am. The drone reportedly fell to a neutral zone between Armenian and Azerbaijani troops.

The Armenian side is now searching for the drone.

NKR Defense Army spokesman Senor Hasratyan neither confirmed nor refuted the report when contacted by Hetq.am.

 

Source: Panora

Fellow soldier: Zorik Galstyan used to say there are three types of love

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YEREVAN. – Senior Lieutenant Zorik Gevorgyan who was killed while repelling Azerbaijan’s act of sabotage on August 2 was a brave, friendly and attentive person, the fellow solider say.

zorik-gaslstyan“He was a very friendly and sociable person. He never put the difference between officers and solders. He was very attentive to the soldier, he knew all their problems, talked to them and helped with advice. He was always ready to help everyone so that nothing could happen with any of his soldiers, even at the cost of his own life,” one of the soldiers, who did not want to name himself, told Armenian News – NEWS.am.

Zorik Gevorgyan, who graduated from the Military Institute after Vazgen Sargsyan and has in the Armenian army for five years. The soldiers say Zorik shared his experience and knowledge, and was their elder friend.

“He said there are three kinds of love: the first for family members learnt on mother’s knee, the second for friends who stretch out a helping hand when you are in trouble, and the third is love for your homeland, when you stand in the trenches and homeland is on one side and enemy on the other,” the soldier recalls Zorik’s words.

Zorik Gevorgyan lived in the city of Vanadzor with his parents and sister, he was not married. Under Armenian President’s decree, he was posthumously awarded the second degree “Battle Cross” and “For Courage” medal by the President of Nagorno-Karabakh.

As reported earlier, the Azerbaijani side made another reconnaissance attempt on the night of August 2 in the north-east direction of Karabakh. Zorik Galstyan died heroically defending his homeland.

Armenia News – NEWS.am

Azerbaijani media react semi-hysterically to border shoot-outs – IT expert

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Commenting on the media coverage of the past days’ armed violence along the Armenian-Azerbaijani borderline, an Armenian information security expert said he feels that the cyber-attackAzerbaijani outlets reacted semi-hysterically to the incidents.

“The situation was interesting in that the Azerbaijani government institutions fell into a collapse for quite a long time, That enabled the penetration of the Armenian media there. And our media reacted very quickly,” Samvel Martirosyan told reporters.

Addressing the cybercrimes that followed the cross-border violence, the expert noted that the Armenian hacker attacks against Azerbaijani websites (Haqqin.az) were more of a demonstrative character.

“The Azerbaijanis launched attacks against several sites. Yesterday, they started using every possible method to convince their domestic audience that the Armenian side had suffered more losses. And now they are trying to freeze the situation in all possible ways; the speak of more Armenian victims to appease the domestic audience. On top of that, they manage to cover up the victims’ number. That never actually happens here, but for them, it is an accepted practice,” Martirosyan noted.

To rule out undue panic in the society, he stressed the need of a more clear cooperation between the media and the society. “One source of panic, for example, were the Azerbaijanis who disseminated false reports through fake [accounts in the social networks]. So only the media can stop rumors of the kind. One the other hand, the media cannot spread information from everywhere. Whatever appears in the Azerbaijani news has to be perceived not just as a fact but a report needing verification,” the expert explained.

As for the Russian media, Martirosyan noted that Russia demonstrated no special interest in the recent developments, with its attention being more focused on the situation in Ukraine.

Armenian FM: Azerbaijan assumes entire responsibility for ceasefire violations

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YEREVAN. – It’s time for international community to sober the Azerbaijani leadership which has lost the sense of reality and is going against the value-system of the international community, Armenian FM Edward Armenian-FMNalbandian said commenting on the recent escalation for Armenpress.am.

Foreign Minister condemned Baku’s provocative actions at the line of contact and border between Armenia and Azerbaijan that caused numerous casualties and sharp escalation of situation.

“We extend condolences to the families and friends of those killed during the Azerbaijani attacks,” he said.

“Baku continues to grossly violate the ceasefire agreements from May, 1994 and February, 1995, ignore the calls of the Heads of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chair countries to refrain from provocative actions and from the escalation of the situation, and the appeals of the international community that through the use of force the conflict can not be resolved , and that only through negotiations stability and peace can be achieved. The recurrent adventurism of Baku pursues an aim to undermine the negotiation process.

Being the initiator and instigator of the provocations, Azerbaijan is trying to put their responsibility on the other sides. However, it is obvious that by rejecting the proposals of the international community on the establishment of a mechanism of investigation of incidents, Azerbaijan is assuming the whole responsibility for the ceasefire violations.

It is high time for the international community to sober the Azerbaijani leadership which has lost the sense of reality and is going against the value-system of the international community.

Together with the Co-Chair countries Armenia will take the necessary steps for halting the provocative acts, for the stabilization of the situation, for continuation of the negotiation process aimed at the settlement of the conflict exclusively through peaceful means”.