Breaking

Azerbaijan appears to have started demolishing a building in Stepanakert that housed Nagorno-Karabakh’s parliament for almost two decades.

Armenia to Hand Over Azerbaijani Serviceman as Gesture of Goodwill

Azerbaijan Still Illegally Detaining Dozens of Armenian Hostages

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U.S. Congress

Senator Gary Peters Opposes Sale of F-16s to Turkey Over Concerns for Armenian Safety

“If we sell F-16s to Turkey, there’s a real risk they end up in the hands of the Azerbaijani government and are used to further their aggression against ethnic Armenians,” Peters wrote in his X page.

World Leaders, NGOs Condemn Azerbaijan’s Ethnic Cleansing in Nagorno-Karabakh

Freedom in the World 2024 Report: Decline Continues for 18th Consecutive Year; Nagorno-Karabakh Suffers Steepest Drop Amid Azerbaijan’s Ethnic Cleansing Campaign

  • Indicates a loss of 40 points in Nagorno-Karabakh’s
    rating, resulting in its reclassification from “partially
    free” to “not free” after its entire ethnic Armenian
    population of 120,000 was forcibly deported by Aliyev.
  • Highlights a potential large-scale invasion of Armenia
    by Azerbaijan, given the violation of Armenian borders.
  • Underscores Azerbaijani government’s discriminatory policy against ethnic Armenians since the 1990s, including restrictions on their entry into the country.

Read the Report Here

Danish MEP Karen Melchior: Azerbaijan’s Aggression Threatens Armenia’s Existence

“Azerbaijan’s recent aggression is a challenge not only to Armenia’s
territorial integrity, but also to its existence. Armenia’s decision to
freeze participation in the CSTO confirms the fact that Russia is not
Armenia’s reliable ally or friend. The real friend of Armenia is
Europe. We must prove that we are Armenia’s friend,” Karen Melchior, Danish member of the European Parliament stated.

CSI Condemns Azerbaijan’s Demolition of Artsakh’s Parliament Building

Christian Solidarity International (CSI) condemns the actions of Azerbaijan’s dictatorship, highlighting the expulsion of Armenian residents from their homeland and the demolition of Artsakh’s parliament building as symbols of the region’s autonomy and democratic aspirations.

Socialist International Adopts Resolution Demanding Release of Detainees and Ensuring Safe Return of Karabakh Armenians

  • Calls for the release of prisoners of war and detained persons.
  • Calls for the collective, unhindered, and safe return to their homeland of the people of Nagorno Karabakh until the final political settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh issue and the full realization of their fundamental rights.
  • Advocates for effective security guarantees, and unhindered land connection with Armenia, all guaranteed by international norms.

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Event on Protection of Nagorno-Karabakh Cultural Assets Faces Opposition from Azerbaijan Supporters

The German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP) is committed to holding “The Protection of Endangered Cultural Assets of Nagorno- Karabakh” on March 6, 2024. This event has become the focus of a campaign that is coordinated and orchestrated by supporters of Azerbaijan. It aims to prevent the event from taking place.

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EU Underscores Creation of Conditions for Karabakh Armenians’ Return, Right to Live in Their Homes in Dignity

Speaking at the 55th Session of the UN Human Rights Council, the representative of the European Union (EU) delegation reflected on human rights in various parts of the world, including the ethnic cleansing of Armenians carried out by Azerbaijan in Nagorno-Karabakh.

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Driven by Fear from Nagorno-Karabakh

The Ongoing Struggle of Nagorno-Karabakh Refugees in Armenia

Like other refugees, Lusine and her twenty relatives sheltering in the sparsely furnished and unpainted dwelling they now call home are too fearful to return even if they could. “It is still cold, and the wood is so expensive”, Lusine said. “We had to leave in one day. And now we have nothing. What will be our future?”

Jingalov Hats: The Flatbread Creating A Lifeline For Armenia’s Karabakh Refugees

Jingalov hats (Karabakh traditional bread) were first mentioned in texts around 200 years ago but were probably eaten by Karabakh Armenians long before that.

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Japan Providing $2.9 Million to Address the Needs of Armenians Displaced from Nagorno-Karabakh

Japan and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Armenia signed an agreement to launch a new USD 2.9 million initiative “Project for Supporting Basic Infrastructure and Social Integration for Displaced Persons from Nagorno-Karabakh and Host Communities”.

Living in Kotayk, Dreaming of Artsakh

“Every day, every second, I am waiting to return to my beloved Karabakh, if it is possible to live safely there. I don’t know if another war starts here in Armenia, I don’t know what will happen to us. 1915 (the Genocide) is an example for you. I have a feeling that we are in a pot with a lid on it, surrounded on all sides. I don’t know who can guarantee our security,” expressed Luba, a Karabakh refugee.

Photos of the week

Gayane Petrosian, a mother of two who fled the village of Berkadzor in Nagorno-Karabakh, now runs a business baking jingalov hats (Karabakh traditional bread) in Echmiadzin, near Yerevan.

Photo Courtesy of Amos Chapple.

The Armenian president stands solemnly at a memorial site, commemorating the 16th anniversary of the tragic events of March 1, 2008. On that day, citizens protesting peacefully for their rights were met with violence from the authorities, resulting in the deaths of 10 people.

Photo Courtesy of Press Service of the President of the Republic of Armenia.

Security

Russia Warns Armenia on its Tilt to West

Russia will seriously “reconsider” its relationship with Armenia if Yerevan continues drifting away from Moscow and aligning with the West, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov warned.
Over the past year, Armenian has boycotted high-level meetings,
military exercises, and other activities of the CSTO in what Pashinian described last month as an effective suspension of Armenia’s membership in the military alliance comprising six ex-Soviet states.

“It’s the kind of rhetoric that we have seen the Russian Government make that is destabilizing to the region,” Matthew Miller, US State Department Spokesperson referred to Lavrov’s rhetoric.

The Collective Security Treaty Organization: A Lifeless, Shambling ‘Alliance’
By Thomas Ambrosio

Notably, the peacekeeping force sent to Nagorno-Karabakh following a Russian-brokered ceasefire in November of that year was not under CSTO auspices but rather through Moscow’s sole authority, another symbol of the CSTO’s unwillingness to assist Armenia.

EU Candidacy: Armenia’s New Direction in Foreign Relations?

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Economy

World Economic Forum Report Reveals Top Risks to Armenia

The heightened risk of interstate armed conflict in Armenia primarily stems from the ongoing threats posed by Azerbaijan.
Regarding direct implications for business operations, the shooting incident involving two workers at a scrap metal plant under construction in the border town of Yeraskh prompted the Armenian-American company to relocate its operations. If conflict persists along the border or expands deeper into Armenia, it is probable that more companies will suspend operations, placing Armenia at a significant economic disadvantage.

Read the Report Here

New Armenian Economy Minister Appointed

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Opinion

Ethnic Cleansing in our Time in Nagorno-Karabakh
By Thomas Becker

We should not look away from the images of horror. People fleeing their homes. Asymmetrical warfare. Shortages of food and medicine. Innocents dying. Am I talking about the Middle East, or perhaps Sudan? Nope – my story of epic suffering happened recently on the periphery of Europe.

Post-Soviet Neighbours Navigate the Orbit of Russian Power
By Tony Barber

Conversely, the Nagorno-Karabakh attack has strained Azerbaijan’s relations with the west and aligned the country more closely with Russia, although Baku is determined to preserve its independence.

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“The most boring elections in the history of Azerbaijan”
By Aleksej Tilman Cavid Ağa

Aliyev wants to use the euphoria of victory now, before people start complaining about the economic situation. For thirty years the government has justified economic problems with the need to give priority to Karabakh. Now the situation has changed and this justification cannot be used anymore.

Little Suad Received a Letter from Her Father Detained in Azerbaijan
By Arzu Geybullayeva

“Not a day went by that we did not expect our imminent arrest for investigating and exposing the corruption that has stolen today and the future of Azerbaijan. And that is exactly what happened. We got arrested. Because Azerbaijan has turned into the world’s most repressive country.”

Jerusalem ‘Land Grab’: Armenian Community Fear Eviction after Contentious Deal
By Emma Graham-Harrison and Quique Kierszenbaum

Under the walls of old Jerusalem, black-robed priests and students lined up beside barricades, a ​bonfire and a mound of rubble just after midnight in mid-January to sing in their new year with dozens of other Armenians.

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