Breaking
Suzanne Grishman, chairwoman of Save the Persecuted Christians and executive director of Mercury One and The Nazarene Fund, discusses her recent trip to Armenia with Frank Gaffney and Dede Laugesen. The American delegation, hosted by Save Armenia, is deeply concerned about the increasing threats of genocide against Armenia, the world’s oldest Christian nation, from Azerbaijan and Turkey. Analysts fear that after COP 29 in Baku, these threats may escalate.
ICC Files Human Rights Sanctions Request Against Azerbaijan
International Christian Concern (ICC) recently sent U.S. government officials a formal sanctions request against Azerbaijan and prisons where Armenian prisoners of war and Christians were allegedly tortured.
Read More Here
Azerbaijan Government Comped Trip to New York City Mayoral Aides
U.S. State Department
Senior U.S. Official: U.S. Supporting Armenia’s Move Away from Russia
“Much of the population [of Armenia] want to get further from Russia. So we’re creating the conditions for that to happen,” O’Brien said this was the main purpose of U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s trilateral meeting with Pashinian held in Brussels in April. They set up a “new platform to help Armenia reduce its dependence on Russia,” he said.
U.S. State Department Reaffirms Call for Humane Treatment of Armenian POWs in Azerbaijan
Any country needs to treat all detainees humanely and by international law, a U.S. State Department spokesperson has said when asked whether Washington could help the Armenian POWs held in Azerbaijan.
Azerbaijan’s Ethnic Cleansing in Nagorno-Karabakh and Genocidal Policy
Luis Moreno Ocampo: Silence at COP29 Equals Complicity—Armenian Genocide Victims Held Hostage
“Meeting on climate change will be in November in Baku, at the same time there are 23 Armenians from Nagorno-Karabakh in jail in Baku. And it’s not that they committed a crime. They are just people—leaders from Nagorno-Karabakh. So that should not happen. Armenians from all over the world should demand action. Armenians, victims of genocide, are hostages. Why are they hostages? It’s sad, but it happened in 1915. In 1915, the Turks first took the leaders, sent them to jail, and then killed them. So that is what is happening in Nagorno-Karabakh,” stated Luis Moreno Ocampo, the first Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC).
Luis Moreno Ocampo: COP29 Aware of Genocide but Ignoring It—After 100 Years of Advocacy, How Long for Nagorno-Karabakh Genocide Recognition? Watch Here
Luis Moreno Ocampo: Global Support Needed for Justice in Genocide Cases. ‘Armenians Are Committed, and I’m Dedicated to Building a Global Community to Push for Justice’ Watch Here
Center for Truth & Justice (CFTJ) Urges Azerbaijan to Follow Example of Historic Prisoner Swap and Release all Political Prisoners
CFTJ released a statement welcoming the historic West-Russia prisoner swap.
- CFTJ) welcomes the release of a large number of political prisoners and foreign hostages by the Russian and Belarusian authorities.
- Calls upon the government of Azerbaijan to free all political prisoners and hostages arbitrarily detained by the Aliyev regime.
CFTJ has published numerous reports based on testimonial evidence of repatriated POWs, detailing cruel treatment and torture by the Aliyev regime.
Webinar | Save Armenia from Yet Another Genocide: America Must Act Now!
EU Envoy: Azerbaijan Must Facilitate Return of Karabakh Armenians
“Sometimes other issues are brought up in this context, such as the question of so-called “Western Azerbaijan”. For me, these are completely distinct questions that cannot be mixed. The first is the facilitation of the return of the Karabakh Armenians to their ancestral homes, which is an obligation that Azerbaijan has,” stated Toivo Klaar, the EU Special Representative for the South Caucasus.
CSI Condemns IOC’s Apology to Azerbaijan at 2024 Olympics, Urges Adherence to Its Values
Christian Solidarity International (CSI) has criticized the IOC’s apology to Azerbaijan, accusing it of supporting the regime responsible for the ethnic cleansing of Nagorno-Karabakh.
Satellite Images Reveal Destruction of Mokhrenes Village in Artsakh by Azerbaijan
Human Rights Union of Nagorno-Karabakh Refugees Calls for UNESCO Action
In a letter to the UNESCO Director-General, the Union pointed out the alarming acts of vandalism perpetrated by Azerbaijani forces against the cultural heritage in Nagorno-Karabakh.
“We also underscore the critical imperative of preserving the Armenian spiritual and historico- cultural heritage of Nagorno-Karabakh, which currently faces the imminent threat of destruction, constituting a grave violation of human rights,” the letter reads.
Armenian Lawyers’ Association Calls on COP29 Organizers to Move Event from Azerbaijan to Another Country
The Armenian Lawyers’ Association called on the organizers of the 29th Conference of the Parties (COP29) to move the event from Azerbaijan to a country that aligns with the COP’s values and objectives.
Driven by Fear from Nagorno-Karabakh
Jemma Marabyan’s Ordeal Revealed: From Media Portrayal to Harrowing Reality
Jemma Marabyan, a 72-year-old refugee from Sarnaghbyur, Nagorno-Karabakh, experienced a brutal reality following Azerbaijan’s September 2023 unlawful military operation. Despite Azerbaijani media depicting her rescue and care, Marabyan faced severe neglect and abuse. Captured and taken to Agdam, she endured humiliation, inadequate treatment, and harsh beatings, while her son suffered even worse brutality.
“All they gave us was tea, tea, tea,” she recalled. “There was no bread. The hospital room was swarming with flies, but one time when I covered my face with a blanket, suddenly one of the orderlies barged in and started slapping me over and over until the doctor heard the commotion and came in, and that somehow put an end to the beating.”
Photos of the week
Fans gathered at Zvartnots Airport to welcome the Armenian men’s gymnastics team on August 8, following their return from the Olympic Games. Armenia secured a silver and bronze medal in Greco-Roman wrestling, as well as a silver medal in artistic gymnastics.
Photo Courtesy of Radio Free Europe Armenian Service.
Faces of Eagle Partner 24
U.S. Army 2nd Lt. Mark Haroutunian, assigned to the 1st Cavalry Division, translates between English and Armenian during the first day of exercise Eagle Partner 24 at Armavir, Armenia.
Photo Courtesy of Alexcia Rupert.
U.S. Marine 1st Lt. Ara Melkonian and Air Force Capt. Alex Gharakanian, both serving as interpreters for the U.S. and Armenian forces, converse during Exercise Eagle Partner 24 at Armavir, Armenia.
Photo Courtesy of Alexcia Rupert.
Security
Armenia Receives Advisory Support from U.S. and other International Partners as Part of Military Reforms
The Armenian Ministry of Defense said that as part of the reforms in the Armed Forces of Armenia the Ministry of Defense has been receiving advisory support, both short-term and long-term, from the United States as well as other international partners.
Armenia Skips CSTO Military Exercises
Armenia has opted out of participating in upcoming military exercises orchestrated by the Russia-led Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), lending further credence to discussions of Armenia’s intent to part ways with the military alliance.
Russian Border Guards Leave Yerevan Airport
Bridging a Gap and Breaking Bread: U.S. Military Members of Armenian Descent Serve as Translators During Eagle Partner 24
EU Monitoring Mission Conducts Patrol in Southern Armenia
The EU Mission in Armenia (EUMA) conducted a patrol in Nerkin Hand village, located in Syunik Province. EUMA Head of Mission Markus Ritter and his team met with Nerkin Hand Mayor Khachatur Baghdasaryan.
Armenian Archbishop Galstanian Announces Plans for Renewed Efforts to Address Pashinian’s Leadership
Economy
French Development Agency to Provide 75-Million-Euro Loan to Armenia
Opinion
Inside the Petrostate Hosting This Year’s Global Climate Negotiations
By Max Bearak
In Azerbaijan, the causes and effects of climate change are on vivid display and the painful trade-offs needed to fight it are acutely felt.
It’s Business as Usual for Aliyev: What Now?
By Tatevik Hayrapetyan
This stance is disappointing for those in the region who view the United States as a promoter of democratic values, human rights, and peace. The inconsistency damages trust in U.S. policymakers and democracy as a whole, and particularly when an aggressive dictator can openly hold the U.S. accountable for his own actions without facing any consequences.
Wary of Trump and Azerbaijan, Businesses shun COP Climate Talks
By Zack Colman, Sara Schonhardt, Zia Weise, Karl Mathiesen
Businesses of all stripes are planning to either skip or send smaller delegations to this year’s global COP29 climate summit in Azerbaijan, wary of the event’s location and logistics, the oil-evangelizing autocratic regime running it.
Letter: Azerbaijan’s COP29 Fund Pledge is a Distraction
By Laurie van der Burg and Andreas Sieber
Funding climate action while expanding fossil fuels is like mopping the floor while turning the faucet.
Erdogan Continues to Anger Azerbaijan over Nagorno- Karabakh War
By Levent Kenez
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan drew Baku’s ire with his statements about Turkey’s role in the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh War. Erdogan continues to leverage Turkey’s contribution for domestic political purposes.
Waiting for the Day that Iranians, Jews, and Armenians Can Celebrate History
By Grigor Hovhannissian
Armenia’s commercial ties with Iran are not a matter of choice but of necessity, dictated by the realities of geography and geopolitics.
Why Some Armenian Americans Feel the Democrats Have Abandoned Them
By Zaid Jilani
As Azerbaijan continued to bear down on Nagorno-Karabakh, eventually forcing out thousands of Armenians, the Biden administration’s response was muted.
How Armenia’s ‘Crossroads for Peace’ plan could transform the South Caucasus
By Sheila Paylan
Enhanced Western support for Armenia could also serve as a catalyst for broader regional cooperation and prosperity, setting a precedent for peaceful conflict resolution and cooperative development efforts.
Armenians and Israeli Settlers Clash over Land Parcel in Old City Jerusalem
By Ella Chakarian
Jerusalem’s Armenian Quarter threatened by real estate dispute.