Breaking
Why Azerbaijan’s Flag Is Flying Amid New Caledonia Unrest
The Daily Beast has connected the dots between indicted Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-TX), an agent of autocratic Azerbaijan, and some of D.C.’s elite dining establishments.
U.S. Congress
Global ARM Hosts Capitol Hill Briefings on U.S. Policy Towards Armenia, Nagorno-Karabakh and Azerbaijan
On May 7 & 8, 2024, Global ARM held two briefings in Washington, D.C. with expert panelists who discussed U.S. interests in the South Caucasus.
- Panelists discussed the security landscape, economic prospects, energy issues and human rights and international legal activities impacting Armenia, Nagorno-Karabakh, Azerbaijan and the broader region.
- The Global ARM delegation also met with senior Biden Admin. officials and with members of Congress and staff to discuss a range of issues including: strengthening U.S.-Armenia economic and security relations; Azerbaijan’s war crimes and atrocities against ethnic Armenians; Armenia’s western pivot; and holding the Aliyev regime accountable for atrocities, illegal detention of Armenian prisoners and occupation of more than 200 sq kilometers of sovereign Armenia.
Global ARM’s experts share their views on the current situation in Armenia, the South Caucasus and U.S policy interests.
Azerbaijan’s Ethnic Cleansing in Nagorno-Karabakh and Genocidal Policy
109 Years After Genocide, Armenia Faces Another Existential Threat
Speaking on “EWTN News Nightly”, Simone Rizkallah, an Armenian activist with the Philos Project, said that “this feels less like a remembrance and more like a truly historical event that we are in the midst of.”
CSI Urges Immediate Release of Armenian Hostages, Including Ruben Vardanyan, Held by Azerbaijan
“Vardanyan is one of eight serving and former government officials of the Nagorno Karabakh government that Baku captured following the invasion. Last September, Azerbaijan attacked Nagorno Karabakh after a nine-month siege, killing hundreds and forcing its 100,000 Armenian Christian inhabitants to flee to neighboring Armenia,” the statement by the Christian Solidarity International reads.
Ruben Vardanyan’s Family Calls on the International Community to Demand Vardanyan’s Unconditional Release
The family of Ruben Vardanyan, who has been illegally detained in a Baku prison cell, calls on the international community to demand for his and the 22 other Armenian prisoners’ unconditional release.
“While the international pressure on Azerbaijan continues to grow through the European Parliament resolution, US Congress sanctions bill, and the French Senate resolution, we, the Vardanyan family, call on representatives of the international community – government, business and civil society – to demand for Ruben’s unconditional release and the 22 other Armenian prisoners if Azerbaijan is to maintain the privilege to host COP29, which Azerbaijan has proclaimed to be the “COP of peace,” the family’s statement reads
Baku Court Extends Illegal Detention of the Former Leaders of Nagorno-Karabakh
Armenian Foreign Minister: World Witnessed Forced Displacement of Armenians from Nagorno-Karabakh
“This year we celebrate the seventy-fifth anniversary of our Organization. 75 years after its establishment, the Council of Europe still remains one of the most important international organizations in protection of human rights and the rule of law(..) In September 2023, after 9 months of blockade, the world witnessed the forcible displacement of the indigenous Armenian population of Nagorno-Karabakh as a result of Azerbaijan’s military attack on the region, as documented by the Commissioner for Human Rights after her fact- finding visit in October 2023,” the statement at the 133rd Session of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe reads.
Videos Show Azerbaijani Looting and Demolition in Nagorno-Karabakh
Driven by Fear from Nagorno-Karabakh
Psychosocial Rehabilitation of Karabakh Armenians: The Womanly Face of Trauma
Karine, a 66-year-old pensioner, recalls that
“women were responsible for everything that happened on the home front. They were not allowed to cry or show weakness either during the war or in the postwar years. If men were at war, women took over all the duties on the home front: surviving in the basement with their children and elderly parents, providing with water and food (..)making sure that the children were safe and at the same time clearing away rubble after bombing raids, caring for the wounded and taking charge of funerals. In addition, women waited and worried, carefully hiding their anxieties, fears and thoughts from their children and parents. This is the hardest part.”
Photos of the week
French-Armenian photographer Rebecca Topakian witnessed the ethnic cleansing of Nagorno- Karabakh and has now released photos documenting the atrocities in Artsakh.
All images © Rebecca Topakian.
Security
Armenia Security Council Secretary Receives CIA Deputy Director
Secretary of the Security Council of Armenia and the Deputy Head of the US Central Intelligence Agency discussed issues of bilateral cooperation between the RA and the US, as well as regional security.
Deputy Assistant Secretary of State: US Relations with Armenia to Develop and Strengthen
Armenian Foreign Minister Advocates for Strengthened Global Nuclear Security at ICONS 2024 in Vienna
On May 20, Minister Ararat Mirzoyan addressed the International Conference on Nuclear Security, emphasizing Armenia’s commitment to non-proliferation and the importance of international cooperation to enhance nuclear security and safety.
EU Welcomes Progress in Armenia-Azerbaijan Border Delimitation Process
- Welcomes the progress made in the framework of the Armenia- Azerbaijan border delimitation process.
- Encourages the parties to take further decisive steps to tackle other outstanding bilateral issues and remains committed to supporting the efforts aimed at bringing sustainable and lasting peace to the South Caucasus region.
Dutch Ambassador and Delegation Visit EUMA in Armenia, Engage in Ground Patrols and Mission Activities
The Secretary of the Security Council of Armenia Received the Delegation of the Foreign Relations Committee of the German Bundestag
Human Rights
Armenia Signs Oviedo Convention on Human Rights and Biomedicine
Armenia’s FM signed the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Dignity of the Human Being concerning the Application of Biology and Medicine: Convention on Human Rights and Biomedicine (ETS No. 164).
Since joining the Council of Europe (CoE), Armenia has signed and ratified 70 CoE conventions and joined 12 CoE partial agreements.
United States Supports Human Rights Defender’s Office in Armenia to Strengthen Democracy
Armenian Foreign Minister Meets CoE Human Rights Commissioner to Discuss Cooperation and Reforms
Armenian Foreign Minister met with CoE Human Rights Commissioner Michael O’Flaherty in Strasbourg, discussing Armenia’s cooperation in human rights protection and democratic reforms. They emphasized
Armenia’s commitment to joining international conventions and addressing humanitarian issues, including the release of Armenian prisoners held in Azerbaijan.
Economy
U.S. Ambassador Highlights Armenia’s Economic Growth and Opportunities at Central Bank Event
“Armenia’s rapid economic growth and development has been truly remarkable in recent years. I am very optimistic about the opportunities Armenia offers to U.S. and other foreign firms,” the Ambassador said in her remarks.
Armenia and French Development Agency Discuss Current and Future Projects
During the meeting, issues related to the projects implemented in cooperation with the French Development Agency, including the construction of the Vedi reservoir, were discussed.
Armenian PM Meets with World Bank and IFC Leaders to Discuss Economic Cooperation and Reforms
During the meeting, the course of joint projects, as well as the possibilities of diversification of Armenia’s economy, and the steps taken in that direction were discussed.
opinion
State Department will Fail Until it Gives Enemies a Taste of Their Own Medicine
By Michael Rubin
When Erdogan spoke about revising the 1923 Lausanne Treaty that set modern Turkey’s borders, no Western official suggested that might mean Turkey conceding territory to allow the Greek community, ethnically cleansed alongside the Armenians, to return. Had Washington, Athens, and other European states used the opportunity to demand the return of Smyrna, Erdogan might think twice about aggression.
France Accuses Azerbaijan of Fomenting Deadly Riots in Overseas Territory New Caledonia
By Gabriel Gavin, Océane Herrero, Victor Goury-Laffont
State of emergency has been declared in the Pacific Ocean archipelago after four people were killed in the worsening violence. French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin said that the violence, which has claimed the lives of three indigenous Kanak people and a police officer, had been actively supported by Azerbaijan.
Hungary: Baku’s Friend in Brussels
By Hovhannes Nazaretyan
Hungary under Prime Minister Viktor Orban, maintains cozy relations with many non- or anti-Western leaders, such as Russia’s Putin, China’s Xi, Turkey’s Erdogan. Orban’s close ties with Azerbaijan, which grew increasingly closer after the Safarov debacle, may be viewed through this prism.
Armenia Should Use This Window of Opportunity to Leave Russia’s Orbit
By Areg Kochinyan
Yerevan should not delay if it wants to integrate with the West, diversify its foreign policy, and build a new model of bilateral relations with Moscow.
In Nagorno-Karabakh, Azerbaijan’s Net Zero Vision Clashes with Legacy of War
By Matteo Civillini
After Armenians fled the conflict-torn region, the COP29 host nation has launched a huge reconstruction effort to polish its green credentials.
The Dubious Land Deal Threatening East Jerusalem’s Armenian Quarter
By Joshua Yang
In April 2023, the community learned that an Israeli real estate company would soon construct a hotel on one-fourth of their land. “Progressively, we will lose everything.”