Breaking
“This conflict is an ethnic conflict because for three decades, under the grounds of “territorial integrity,” Azerbaijan refused to accept the self-determination of the ethnic Armenians living in the land of their historical ancestors in Nagorno-Karabakh and brutally put an end to that situation.(..) As a result of the war, Nagorno-Karabakh was completely ethnically cleansed, disregarding the ICJ’s decisions. Azerbaijan’s goal was to remove ethnic Armenians from their homeland,” professor D’argent stated during the hearings at the ICJ this week.
The International Court of Justice (ICJ) has ruled Azerbaijan must enable anyone who wanted to return to Nagorno-Karabakh after the September 2023 ethnic cleansing to do so in a “safe, unimpeded and expeditious manner”.
Must-Watch: Eye-Opening Documentary Chronicles Existential Struggle of Jerusalem’s Ancient 1,600- Year-Old Armenian Community
Jeremy Loffredo visits the Armenian Quarter of Jerusalem’s Old City, where a community of Armenian Christians dating back to the 4th century face displacement at the hands of a shadowy Israeli corporation called Xana Capital and the violent settlers it uses as hired muscle.
Azerbaijan’s Ethnic Cleansing in Nagorno-Karabakh and Genocidal Policy
Russian Security Forces Leaving Nagorno-Karabakh
Russian security forces, which cooperated with Azerbaijan in both its illegal blockade and military campaign of genocide against Nagorno-Karabakh Armenians, are leaving. Putin’s spokesperson confirmed this pullout but it is not yet clear where these security forces will be re- deployed.
Authoritarian Expansion: Freedom House Warns of Deadly Consequences in Nagorno-Karabakh and Ukraine
“In the South Caucasus, Armenia’s democratization efforts wereadversely affected by the Azerbaijani regime’s brutal offensive in Nagorno-Karabakh, which prompted the more than 120,000 ethnic Armenians living there to flee west (..) Azerbaijani president Ilham Aliyev had long been explicit about his intent to erase the ethnic Armenian enclave’s de facto independence, having already seized some territory in a 2020 war that ended with a Russian-brokered cease-fire (..) On the domestic front, President Aliyev moved quickly to capitalize on his triumph in Nagorno-Karabakh by further consolidating power and bolstering his legitimacy,” the Nations in Transit report reads.
CFTJ Releases Conclusive Evidence of Ilham Aliyev’s Intention to Invade and Occupy Armenia
The evidence catalogues released by CFTJ meticulously detail findings that suggest Ilham Aliyev has been laying groundwork for an invasion and occupation of Armenia. These findings, compiled by the CFTJ expert team, underscore the urgency of international attention and action to prevent potential genocide in the region.
Armenian Human Rights Defender Gathers Evidence of Azerbaijani Violations in Tavush Region
Armenia’s Human Rights Defender, conducted a visit to the Tavush
region, meeting with residents and administrative heads of several settlements. During the visit, evidence of violations, particularly related to the shelling of border settlements by the Azerbaijani side, was collected. These findings will be presented to international organizations and other entities for further action.
Lemkin Institute for Genocide Prevention Reviews Azerbaijan’s 2023 Attack on Artsakh: A Year of Genocide Against the Armenian People
“Azerbaijan, a country that is driven by the ideology of pan-turkism has suggested at the ICJ that Armenia is motivated by ‘an overtly racist and nationalistic ideology… the notion of a superior Armenian, Aryan race, the racial inferiority of Azerbaijanis and the unification of all ethnic Armenians within a single mono-ethnic Armenian state, extending into the internationally recognized sovereign territories not only of Azerbaijan but also of other neighboring states,'” – Lemkin Institute for Genocide Prevention.
ICJ Hears Armenia v. Azerbaijan Case: Evidence from CFTJ Highlights Torture of Armenian Prisoners of War
“In the words of another, independent NGO. That has conducted its own interviews of former detainees. All POW’s described in this report testify that the Azeri military, prison emplloyees as well as the actors in the legal and judicial system inflicted both physical and mental torture against them as a means of punishment for simply being Armenian. The POW’s all indicate that they had to repeat phrases and words specifically aimed at humiliating Armenians. Torture was also used as a means of intimidation and coercion to produce false confessions to be used during sham trails.” stated Joseph Klingler, attorney at Foley Hoag LLP and counsel for Armenia.
Driven by Fear from Nagorno-Karabakh
Unheard Voices: Testimonies from Nagorno-Karabakh Ignored by the World
Zhanna Mirzoyan, a school teacher in the village of Sarnaghbyur in the Askeran region of Nagorno-Karabakh, tragically lost three of her students during the initial moments of the Azerbaijani September 2023 attack.
“An hour ago, I had just sent the child home,” Zhanna recounts with anguish. “And then, within that hour, I received the devastating news – one injured, one killed. They tell me one is in a serious condition, the other miraculously spared. It’s unbearable, truly unbearable… Innocent children, taken from us.”
Photo of the week
In the photo, journalist refugee Marut Vanyan holds a young girl who still carries fragments from the September 2023 Azerbaijani attack in her body.
Photo Courtesy of Rasmus Canbäck.
Security
U.S., Armenia Have ‘Very Active’ Discussions On Security, Defense
“I think that’s a very important signal that the U.S. and Armenia can work together in the defense field. And we’re looking for further ways that we can continue that work together. We’re also going to have an advisor who can come and sit with Armenia’s Ministry of Defense to help build capacity, particularly because Armenia is interested in expanding its participation in things like peacekeeping and other peaceful endeavors. And we want to be helpful to do that,” Kvien said.
EU Mission in Armenia Conducts its 2000th Patrol in the Border Regions
U.S. European Command Instructors Collaborate with the Armenian Ministry of Defense on Strategic Communication and Countering Disinformation
Armenian Foreign Minister Meets with EU Political and Security Committee Delegation, Emphasizing Deepening Relations and Peace Efforts
EUMA Welcomes Numerous European Experts and Diplomats in the Past Week
EU Wants ‘Substantial’ Talks Between Armenia, Azerbaijan, Says Envoy
A top EU diplomat on April 11 said he wants to see “genuine, substantial negotiations” between Armenia and Azerbaijan leading to a peace treaty, agreements on border delimitation, and opening of transport links.
Swedish Parliament Member Envisions Armenia’s Integration into European Civilization
“I believe this to be the most important aspect in a longer perspective. My hope is that in the future both Europe and Armenia itself will view Armenia as a part of the European cultural family and the democratic Western civilization. Any would be aggressor would be more hesitant to attack a country which the collective West view as “one of us,” Swedish MP said.
Finland to Continue Supporting Armenia’s Territorial Integrity- Finnish Foreign Minister
Economy
Prospects of Expanding Armenia-EU Trade and Economic Cooperation Discussed: Minister of Economy of Armenia Received Head of the EU Delegation in Armenia
Armenia’s commitment to deepening relations with the EU within the framework of the new realities created at present and readiness to participate more actively in the regional programs implemented and planned by the EU were emphasized.
Opinion
US and European Aid Package to Armenia Is Not Only Cheap, It’s Dangerous
By Michael Rubin
After Russia’s Nagorno-Karabakh betrayal and its overt efforts to
interfere violently in Armenian politics, Armenians deserve real
democracy, security, and partnership. Power made her career writing
about the Armenian Genocide, and President Biden recognized it. Blinken, meanwhile, seeks moral authority from his stepfather’s Holocaust experience. How sad, then, they seem not to recognize that the Armenian Genocide is not a forgotten historical event, but a looming threat that negligence can catalyze.
Armenia Deepens Military Ties with Western Allies
By Elisabeth Gosselin-Malo
While the newly announced aid does not explicitly include defense and security, experts note that some EU and NATO countries are separately deepening their military partnerships with Yerevan to that end.
How Strategic Relations With Azerbaijan Became the Business of the Lieberman Family
By Gur Megiddo
Against the backdrop of Avigdor Lieberman’s warm ties with Baku, his sons Amos and Kobi became paid intermediaries between the government of Azerbaijan and Israeli tech companies.
How the Vatican Helped Legitimise the Autocracy in Azerbaijan
By Simone Zoppellaro
Anything but marginal in her country’s politics, Aliyeva is in Vatican City to receive the highest honor awarded to lay people by the Holy See: the Grand Cross of the Order Piano. The title, given to Dames and Knights, is proposed by diocesan bishops as a sign of appreciation and gratitude for services to the Church or to society, and it’s reserved for heads of state, ministers, ambassadors, and crowned heads. In Italy, several presidents of the Republic received it and, in less merciful times, also fascist dictator Benito Mussolini and his son-in-law Galeazzo Ciano.
Tattoos and Silent Heroes: Women of the Armenian Genocide
By Sofia Bergmann
Just like a phantom limb can ache after amputation, memories of
the genocide still live within Armenians today. It is this analogy
between body and memory that historian Dr. Elyse Semerdjian explores in her book, Remnants: Embodied Archives of the Armenian Genocide. She disrupts existing narratives by incorporating nuance and an intersectional research approach.
US to Help Armenia Modernize its Military
By Ani Avetisyan
Trying not to rattle the bear’s cage too much.
