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Karabakh FM meets with Basque Country Parliament Speaker

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Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic Karen Mirzoyan on Saturday visited the Basque Country Parliament, where he met with Parliament Speaker Karabakh-basque-FMBakartxo Tejeria Otermin.

During the meeting, Karen Mirzoyan briefed on the processes of state-building in the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic and the international recognition of Artsakh, as well as the current stage of the peaceful settlement of the conflict between Azerbaijan and Karabakh.

The sides exchanged views on the possibilities and prospects for cooperation between the legislative bodies of Artsakh and the Basque Country.

Karen Mirzoyan handed Bakartxo Tejeria Otermin the NKR National Assembly Chairman Ashot Ghulian’s invitation to visit Artsakh.

In the frameworks of the visit, Karen Mirzoyan also met with representatives of the political forces in the parliament. Touching upon the Motion about right to self-determination of Nagorno-Karabakh adopted on the same day by the Basque Country Parliament, Karen Mirzoyan described it as a positive development and noted that it was yet another important manifestation of the international community’s support for the continuous efforts of the NKR to develop freely and independently. He noted that the Motion will contribute to the developing and fostering relations between the two friendly nations.

Later in the day, Karen Mirzoyan visited the city of Gernika, where he was received by Mayor of the city Jose María Gorroño.

During the meeting Karen Mirzoyan noted that he represents a country, where peaceful civilians also fell victims to a disastrous war and paid tribute to the memory of the innocent victims of Guernica.

The NKR Foreign Minister also visited the sanctuary of the Basque people Gernikako Arbola (tree of Gernika), where the oath ceremony of the Lehendakari- Presidents of the Basque Country takes place.

The city of Gernika is one of the oldest places of the Basque country. During the civil war, in 1937 the city was subjected to air bombardment and was almost completely destroyed. The famous piece by Pablo Picasso “Guernica” (1937) is devoted to this event.

Basque Country’s Gipuzkoa Province recognizes Nagorno Karabakh

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182410Initiated by European Friends of Armenia, the Nagorno Karabakh Foreign Minister Karen Mirzoyan visited the Basque Country and met with high officials throughout the region, EuFoA press service reported.

On Thursday, September 11 Mirzoyan met with the Gipuzkoa Province President Martin Garitano in San Sebastian to discuss further cooperation between Nagorno Karabakh and the Basque Country.

During the statements of both officials, the Gipuzkoa President, on behalf of the government of Gipuzkoa, recognized the Nagorno Karabakh Republic.

“The suffering of these people has to end and they deserve a free and independent country that guarantees their future as a state, and the full respect of their culture and language,” Garitano said.

Mirzoyan also took the time to speak to the human rights and international cooperation departments of Gipuzkoa’s government.

He additionally met with representatives of a hydroelectric engineering company as well as an agricultural company.

The province of Gipuzkoa is one of the three provinces of the Basque Country with San Sebastian as the capital. Although Gipuzkoa is the smallest province in Spain, it has over 700 000 inhabitants, a third of the Basque population. The economy of the province is mostly structured around three pillars: trade, metallurgy and tourism. With an annual GDP per capita of about 32 000 Euros, Gipuzkoa tops the EU average by 28%.

This is the first time a European territory at sub-state level has recognized Nagorno Karabakh, following the path of several U.S. States as well as Australia’s New South Wales.

Source: PanARMENIAN.Net

Armenia Pans NATO for Pro-Azeri Statement

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nalbandian-austria-fmArmenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian (right) at a press conference with Austrian Foreign Minister Sebastian Kurtz in Yerevan. (Photolur)

YEREVAN—Armenia on Monday criticized NATO for again backing Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and not explicitly acknowledging the Karabakh Armenians’ right to self-determination.

Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian said this stance contradicts the existing Karabakh peace proposals made by the United States and another key NATO member, France, together with Russia.

In an extensive declaration adopted at a summit held in Wales late last week, the leaders of the NATO member states said they “remain committed in their support to the territorial integrity, independence, and sovereignty of Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia and the Republic of Moldova.” They said NATO will therefore continue to seek settlements of the conflicts in the South Caucasus and Moldova “based upon these principles and the norms of international law.”

Speaking at a joint news conference with Austria’s visiting Foreign Minister Sebastian Kurz, Nalbandian claimed that this “generalized” stance “does not correspond to the ideas, proposals and approaches” of the U.S., French and Russian co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group. “Nor does it correspond to decisions that have been made in recent years within the OSCE framework,” he said.

“That certainly causes damage to the negotiation process and that certainly causes damage to stability and security in the region,” charged the chief Armenian diplomat.

President Serzh Sarkisian, who attended the Wales summit, likewise criticized the Karabakh-related language of the NATO declaration at the weekend. Sarkisian at the same time insisted that its adoption was a “very small success” for Azerbaijan. The latter has hailed the NATO stance.

Sarkisian boycotted the previous NATO summits because of virtually identical wordings of their concluding statements. His government wants the U.S.-led alliance to also cite the principle of people’s self-determination with regard to the Karabakh conflict.

Armenian officials argue that a combination of self-determination and territorial integrity is at the heart of the Basic Principles of a Karabakh settlement drafted by the U.S., Russia and France. The proposed framework accord reportedly allows for an eventual international recognition of Karabakh’s secession from Azerbaijan.

The Azerbaijani government meanwhile commended NATO for reaffirming its declared support for Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity.

President Ilham Aliyev’s chief foreign policy aide, Novruz Mammadov, said late on Friday that “NATO’s position has not changed.” “Given that NATO is today the number one military-political organization, its support is very important,” the APA news agency quoted him as saying.

Azerbaijan calls California resolution on Artsakh a mere piece of paper

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By Harut Sassounian
TheCaliforniaCourier.com

Azerbaijan’s Foreign Ministry harshly condemned the California Legislature last week after the State Senate adopted resolution AJR 32 that “encourages and supports the Harut-lobbyingNagorno-Karabakh Republic’s continuing efforts to develop as a free and independent nation” and “urges the President and Congress of the United States to support the self-determination and democratic independence of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic.” The resolution also acknowledged that Karabakh (Artsakh) “has historically been Armenian territory… and yet was illegally severed from Armenia by the Soviet Union in 1921 and placed under the newly created Soviet Azerbaijani administration.”

Both Houses of the California Legislature overwhelmingly supported the Artsakh resolution — the State Senate by a vote of 24-0 on August 27, and the State Assembly with a vote of 72-1 on May 8. Thus, California joins Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island in passing such pro-Artsakh resolutions.

The actions of the California Legislature infuriated the Government of Azerbaijan and its diplomats in the U.S. Elman Abdullayev, spokesman of Azerbaijan’s Foreign Ministry, dismissed the Artsakh resolution, calling it “nothing more than a piece of paper.” The Consul General of Azerbaijan in Los Angeles blasted the local Armenian community, the State of California and AJR 32. To justify his failure to block the resolution, he alleged that California Senators received “massive financial contributions for their election campaigns” from the “Armenian lobby.” Forgetting that he represents one of the most autocratic regimes in the world, the Consul General of Azerbaijan had the audacity to lecture U.S. officials on the “serious flaw in America’s political system that needs an urgent fixing.”

Before making such baseless accusations, the Azeri Consul General should have searched the internet to see how much money, if any, the 24 Senators who voted for the Artsakh resolution had received from Armenian-Americans. Campaign contributions are a public record in the United States, unlike Azerbaijan where visiting politicians are wined and dined and sent home with stacks of cash, cans of caviar, and gold ingots!

The Consul General also credited the passage of AJR to the “inordinate amount of effort by the Armenian lobby in California, where around one million Armenians reside.” The one million number is yet another exaggeration by the Azeri diplomat who went on to falsely claim that the Armenian “ethnic lobby” resorted to “threats, blackmail and other means” against California Senators.

The Azeri Consul General then bragged about his efforts against AJR 32, claiming that he and his Consulate undertook a number of “serious measures,” including “letters of protest to all Senators [and] holding numerous meetings with them….” Despite his frantic activities, not a single Senator voted against the Artsakh bill! Incredibly, the Consul claims he scored a major victory because the final vote was 24-0 in favor of Artsakh, and not 40-0, as some Senators were either absent or abstained!

Conveniently, the Consul General forgets to mention his biggest supporters in opposing the Artsakh bill: the powerful lobbying firms that Azerbaijan has hired in Washington and Los Angeles, at great expense. One of these firms, JCI Worldwide, led by Seth Jacobson, sent to all 40 California Senators a letter signed by Rabbi Dov Newman, Chabad of Beverlywood; Rabbi Mendy Cohen, Chabad of Sacramento; and Rabbi Yonah Bookstein, Pico Shul. The three Rabbis told the Senators that they “strongly oppose AJR 32…. Azerbaijan is an important ally to Israel and Jewish people. Jews live free and protected in Azerbaijan for thousands of years…. As Rabbis and leaders of Jewish communities across California, we stand in solidarity with our brothers and sisters in Azerbaijan and demand that you vote No on AJR 32.” These Rabbis clearly embarrassed themselves by sending such a ridiculous letter, since they failed to convince a single Senator to vote against the Artsakh resolution. Furthermore, their circulated letter was a big waste of Azerbaijan’s petrodollars, as JCI’s expensive lobbying proved to be worthless.

One wonders if President Aliyev is aware that Azerbaijan’s Consulate in Los Angeles and Embassy in Washington are wasting millions of dollars on useless lobbying firms. Do the citizens of Azerbaijan, who mostly live in abject poverty, know that their leaders are wasting their country’s resources on political activities overseas just to counter a “piece of paper”? Indeed, if the California Senate resolution was a meaningless “piece of paper,” as the Azeri foreign ministry official claims, why did Azerbaijan spend so much time, effort and money trying to block its passage?

Artsakh Celebrates 23 Years of Independence

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STEPANAKERT—The Republic of Artsakh celebrated the 23rd anniversary of its declaration of independence on Monday. A number of country-wide events in Artsakh and Karabakh-23Armenia were held in celebration of the Sept. 2 anniversary.

In Artsakh, the first school lessons of the academic year were about Artsakh’s Independence Day, with many government leaders and war veterans participating in teaching schoolchildren about Artsakh and what it means to be courageous.

The opera “Ring of Fire” by Avet Terteryan was performed in Shushi. Concerts, sporting events, and folk festivals were also held throughout Artsakh. The day concluded with a fireworks show at Stepanakert’s Revival Square.

Armenian President Serzh Sarkisian participated in the events in Artsakh.

On September 2, 1991, a joint session of Artsakh’s local government and Shahumyan’s regional council declared independence for the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic. Artsakh’s sovereignty was confirmed in a referendum on December 10, 1991, when 99.89 percent of the population voted for independence.

Today the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic is an accomplished state with modern attributes, democratic traditions, independent foreign policy, dynamic economic development, and a capable army supported by the people.

Artsakh’s President Bako Sahakian issued a statement on the day of the anniversary.

“September 2, 1991 was a turning point in the life of the Artsakh people and became the starting point in realizing our centuries-long dreams,” Sahakian said. “It marked the birth of the Artsakh Republic, which was the outcome of our people’s long struggle and strong will. We finally gained our right to live freely and independently in our land in accordance with universal human and national values, democratic norms, and international principles.”

“On that path we faced both severe challenges and gained great victories, which were attained at the cost of incredible losses and hardships, the blood shed by our hero sisters and brothers,” the President said.

Sahakian said that the failed attacks on Artsakh by Azerbaijani forces starting a month ago proved that the Artsakh Republic was strong and unconquerable; that Artsakh’s soldiers have defended their home and the whole of Armenia for 23 years and will continue to do so for generations to come.

Artsakh marks 23rd anniversary of independence

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182089PanARMENIAN.Net – The Nagorno Karabakh (Artsakh) Republic celebrates its 23rd independence anniversary today.

On September 2, 1991, the joint session of the Nagorno Karabakh regional council and the council of people’s deputies of Shahumyan region proclaimed the Nagorno Karabakh Republic, adopting the Declaration of Independence.

The declaration reads that the Nagorno Karabakh Republic exercises the authority envisaged by the USSR constitution and legislation and is entitled to determine its legal status.

Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan issued a congratulatory message on Independence Day of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic.

“The historic choice of the people of Artsakh is an irreversible reality now. You succeeded in founding and building a statehood through the support of the entire nation and, first of all, owing to your unyielding will, superhuman efforts, and enormous sacrifices.

The Nagorno Karabakh Republic stands proudly among nations boasting better organization of public institutions and a powerful army.

We are not by far the only ones to admire promotion of democracy, cultural and educational progress, as well as the pace of economic growth in the Nagorno Karabakh Republic. Artsakh people have already demonstrated to the world and themselves that they are civilized enough to build a powerful and prosperous statehood.

The war imposed on us and the frequent provocations along the borders are nothing compared to the powerful spirit that has been guiding the people of Artsakh and Armenians all over the world.

That very spirit inspired our heroes to wage a fight for freedom, and it is behind our drive for creative undertakings,” the presidential message said.

Calif. Senate Recognizes Artsakh’s Independence

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From Left: ANCA WR Legislative Affairs Director Haig Baghdassarian, ANCA WR Executive Director Elen Asatryan, incoming Senate President Pro Tem Kevin De Leon, ANCA Calif-senate-recog-arsakhWR Chair Nora Hovsepian, author of AJR 32 Assemblymember Mike Gatto, Senator Ricardo Lara, ANCA WR Government Affairs Director Tereza Yerimyan

SACRAMENTO—The California State Senate, led by incoming Senate President Pro Tem Kevin De Leon, by an overwhelming majority of votes on Wednesday passed Assembly member Mike Gatto’s resolution, AJR 32, encouraging Artsakh’s (Nagorno Karabakh) continuing efforts to develop as a free and independent nation and formally calling upon the upon the President and Congress of the United States to support the self-determination and democratic independence of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, reported the Armenian National Committee of America – Western Region. Though the resolution has officially passed, the finally tally will not be available until early tomorrow morning as Senators absent from the floor during the vote have until the end of the day to cast their vote.

In his opening remarks, Senator De Leon recognized the presence of ANCA WR and ACA in support of the resolution, provided background information on the resolution and the region, and continued on to state, “The ethnic Armenian people in this region have suffered tremendously and deserve a free and independent homeland where they won’t be in danger of persecution. California can be a front line leader that seeks to motivate change in the world…With that in mind, I ask you to support democracy, freedom, a people’s resolution to conflicts and international recognition and recognition of Artsakh,”

His remarks and sentiments were echoed by fellow colleagues Senators Tom Berryhill and Ricardo Lara.

“As Americans, we should understand the desire to be an independent nation, free of tyranny and free to form a government that best reflects our values. It is our own history. Many times on this floor we address the plight of the oppressed and express our desire, as a state legislature, for people to be free and to be able to determine their own destinies. AJR 32 is no different. The peoples of Nagorno-Karabakh Republic did not elect to become part of Azerbaijan in 1921; they were forced into it by the Soviets. It is now their understandable desire to be free. Since declaring its independence Nagorno-Karabakh has held free, transparent and democratic elections. It is fitting that the United States stands behind regions seeking democracy. I urge your Aye vote,” stated Senator Berryhill.

“I rise today to speak in strong support of this important resolution, which encourages and supports the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic’s continuing efforts to develop as a free and independent nation. The resolution states that this region has historically been Armenian territory, populated by an overwhelming majority of Armenians, and yet was illegally severed from Armenia by the Soviet Union in 1921. Senate District 33 is home to a thriving and vibrant Armenian community – people who have embraced important American values of freedom, democracy, and justice. This resolution asks the President and Congress to extend those fundamental values to the people of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, and encourages their continued development as a free and independent nation. I ask for your support of this important resolution,” stated Senator Lara.

AJR 32 was adopted by the CA State Assembly in May 2014 by a sweeping vote of 70 to 2 under the leadership of Speaker Emeritus John Perez.

“Today, under the great leadership of incoming Senate President Pro Tem Kevin De Leon and Assemblymember Mike Gatto, the State of California stood strong on our nation’s core values of liberty, freedom and independence for the people of Artsakh. We are extremely grateful to the CA Senate for their resounding support of this resolution and Artsakh’s need to develop as a free and independent nation,” stated ANCA WR Chair, Nora Hovsepian. “ We, along with our grassroots, are proud to have worked alongside Senator De Leon and Assembly members Mike Gatto, Katcho Achadjian, Adrin Nazarian, John Perez, and Scott Wilk in making today’s victory possible and thank them profoundly for their unwavering leadership towards advancing a cause that is so dear to all of us,” added Hovsepian.

California is home to tens of thousands of Armenian-Americans who are refugees of pogroms against Armenians in Sumgait (1988), Kirovabad (1988), and Baku (1990), and the ethnic-cleansing of the Armenian population of Azerbaijan. Dozens of refugees from the region, many from the Shahumian district of Artsakh, were present for the historic vote along with representatives from the Armenian National Committee of America – Western Region and the Armenian Council of America.

The Armenian National Committee of America – Western Region (ANCA-WR) worked closely with Senator De Leon’s office as well as the author, Assemblyman Mike Gatto, Co-Author Katcho Achadjian, and Assembly members Adrin Nazarian and Scott Wilk to garner support for the resolution. In weeks and days leading up to the vote, aside from having their Government Affairs Director Tereza Yerimyan and Legislative Affairs Director Haig Baghdassarian work day-in and day-out with local activists to educate officials about the resolution and the issues in the region, the ANCA WR also activated its grassroots in sending letters and making calls to elected officials, urging them to support AJR 32.

“The passage of this important resolution was a long and challenging journey that started with the introduction of this resolution back in January. We worked so hard to make it move forward, and we are so proud today that the California State Senate stood with me in support of the people of Artsakh in their ongoing quest for freedom, democracy, and independence,” stated lead author of AJR 32, Assemblymember Mike Gatto.

“This resolution couldn’t have come at a better time, given the recent escalated level of violence along the Artsakh-Azerbaijan border, and as our freedom fighters continue to defend their right to live under a government of their own choosing. The people of Artsakh deserve nothing less and need this support now, more than ever before,” stated ANCA WR Executive Director Elen Asatryan.

The State of California now joins Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Maine and Louisiana in adopting legislation which supports the independence of Artsakh.

The Armenian National Committee of America-Western Region is the largest and most influential Armenian American grassroots advocacy organization in the Western United States. Working in coordination with a network of offices, chapters, and supporters throughout the Western United States and affiliated organizations around the country, the ANCA-WR advances the concerns of the Armenian American community on a broad range of issues.

24% of Russians consider Karabakh independent state

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Almost a quarter (24%) of Russians consider Nagorno Karabakh to be an independent state, a survey held by Russian Public Opinion Research Center 181875shows. PanARMENIAN.Net

According to the survey, 56% of Russians favor peaceful settlement of the Karabakh conflict, while 14% of those polled believe that it can not be solved without the use of force. 30% of didn’t have any specific stance on the issue.

About 45% of Russians were aware of recent escalations in the conflict zone, with 10% well-informed about the situation; 52% of those polled first heard about the mounting tension in the conflict zone during the survey.

Karabakh people will resolve long-lasting land-dispute, says minister

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Nagorno-Karabakh is going to be the place where the Armenians’ fate will be determined, the country’s defense minister said today in a press conference Karabakh-land-disputeblessed by the Supreme Patriarch.

“That’s doesn’t mean, of course, that we have to direct all efforts to Karabakh,” Lieutenant-General Movses Hakobyan warned.

Addressing the past weeks’ cross-border skirmishes, the minister said that the Defense Army managed to resist and adequately react to the Azerbaijani attacks in all the directions.

“We have suffered losses, which we must avoid to the best of our efforts. We resorted to counteraction and preventive operations to prove that it wasn’t the right way. We are always ready to counteract to the enemy, be it today or tomorrow,” he said.

Commenting on Azerbaijani President Ilham Aiyev’s earlier statement that they are ready to “liberate” Karabakh, the Minister considered it an absurd move.

Hakobyan noted that the Armenians of Karabakh and the diaspora have drawn a very important conclusion by stating that the Armenian side “has nothing more to lose”. “All consolidated over one issue to prove that we are unanimous and united, and ready to solve a common problem. Our soldier gave us a signal today that it is it is necessary to be consolidated and give prevalence to the state interest,” he added.

Addressing the Armenian, Russian and Azerbaijani presidents’ recent meeting in Sochi (Russia), the minister stressed that their duty is to bring to life important foreign policy decisions made on the level of presidents and foreign ministers. “Any war finishes with negotiations; hence we hail any meeting of this kind. I think the presidents have agreed upon everything, so it would be good to realize all that,” he said, ruling out the possibility of resolving the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict without the country’s direct participation in the process.

“Once Karabakh joins the talks, we can expect a solution in a just one year,” he added.

Asked about the Russian arms sales to Azerbaijan, the minister said the country isn’t positive about the deal. “Our country’s president has expressed a very tough position; it is, of course, very bad that our ally sells weapon to our enemy. The weapons will be used against the rival, no matter where they is purchased from. So it is very bad for us.”

Hakobyan, who is the commander of Karabakh’s Defense Army, said they are every day preparing for a possible war, adding that the country will come out as a winner in case the scenario turns real. “My soldier is ready even for that today. Our everyday activities are directed to that,” added the minister.

Karabakh official: Baku involved Iraqi authorities in its intrigues

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Official Baku manipulates Karabakh’s friendly gesture of accepting the friendly Yazidi people in its territory, also involving the Iraqi authorities in its intrigues, spokesperson of Baku-Iraqthe NKR President David Babayan told Armenpress.

“The statement on receiving the Yazidis in the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic was a moral support because it is the nation that has become the inseparable friend of the Armenians and we can’t stay indifferent. As for the statement of the Iraqi Embassy in Azerbaijan, we also do not want Yazidis to lose a part of their historic homeland, the sacred sites located in Iraq. The authorities should do their utmost to prevent genocide,” said Babayan.

According to him, official Baku is manipulating this gesture of friendship of Karabakh and is trying to involve in its intrigues the Iraqi authorities as well.

Referring to the Embassy’s statement that “they recognize Nagorno-Karabakh as Azerbaijani territory,” the spokesperson of the NKR President stressed that the motives of Iraq are understandable.

“Iraq is in a very difficult situation, and the motives for making such a statement are understandable as the Iraqi authorities seek to preserve their territorial integrity. But it can have no impact on us. Each state has the right to have its own position and opinion,” Babayan explained.

Source: Panorama.am