Slovakia Expels Russian Embassy Employee Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty
Day: October 4, 2023
Labeled An ‘Accomplice’ To Russian Crimes In Ukraine, Lukashenka To Meet Putin Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty
There are many justified complaints about Russia’s shameful role in the loss of Artsakh and inaction in coming to the defense of Armenia’s borders. However, there is also a lot to complain about regarding the indifference of the international community, including the United States, to Azerbaijan’s aggression against Artsakh and Armenia.
For 30 years, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Minsk Group, composed of the United States, France and Russia, the mediators in the Artsakh conflict, issued repeated statements about the unacceptability of the use of force, urging the settlement of the dispute through peaceful negotiations.
However, contrary to such well-intentioned words, when Azerbaijan repeatedly attacked Artsakh and Armenia with frequent shootings at the border for three decades, the OSCE Minsk Group simply issued meaningless statements, urging both sides not to engage in violence. The OSCE, however, never bothered to point a finger at the guilty party – Azerbaijan – thus equating the victimizer with the victim.
Such unjust statements encouraged Azerbaijan to brazenly continue its attacks, culminating in the unleashing of a massive war against Artsakh in 2020, followed by incursions into the territory of Armenia. Last month, Azerbaijan violated the agreement it signed in 2020 to allow Russian peacekeepers to protect the remnants of Artsakh’s population until 2025. Pres. Ilham Aliyev, knowing full well that no foreign country would intervene to stop his attacks, ethnically cleansed the 120,000 inhabitants of Artsakh and drove them out of their historical homeland.
On Sept. 14, 2023, the Acting Assistant Secretary of State Yuri Kim testified before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee: “We will not tolerate any military action. We will not tolerate any attack on the people of Nagorno-Karabakh.” Days later, Azerbaijan attacked and occupied Artsakh confident that the U.S. government was bluffing.
Naturally, no one expected the United States or another major power to send troops to defend Artsakh and Armenia, but merely urging Azerbaijan not to block the Berdzor (Lachin) Corridor or refrain from the use of force is an exercise in futility. The international community did not even impose sanctions on Azerbaijan because its oil and gas was more valuable than Armenian blood.
To make matters worse, after ignoring Azerbaijan’s repeated attacks on Artsakh and Armenia since the 2020 war, Samantha Power, the administrator of U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), finally arrived in Armenia last week, bringing along a letter from Pres. Joe Biden which contained a lot of sweet words for Armenians, but once again, no action.
Even more shocking, Power offered the pitiful amount of $11.5 million in humanitarian aid to the 120,000 destitute Artsakh refugees. That’s about $96 for each refugee deprived of housing, food, medicines and other basic necessities. This is a shameful amount of money compared to USAID’s annual budget of $50 billion. Her visit was too late and accomplished too little.
Several other countries and international agencies also pledged assistance to the Artsakh Armenians: France ($7.4 million), Germany ($5.3 million), the European Union ($5.3 million), Sweden ($1.3 million), Canada ($1.85 million), Denmark ($140,000), United Nations Refugee Agency, UNHCR (amount unspecified), Japan (amount unspecified) and Spain (amount unspecified). Armenia committed $25 million, plus $125 for rent and utilities per month for six months for each refugee. The government of Cyprus invited the Artsakh refugees to resettle in Cyprus. However, it is not a good idea to take these displaced Armenians out of Armenia.
In addition, dozens of Armenian organizations throughout the Diaspora are raising funds to help the Artsakh refugees. There are also many charitable organizations and businesses in Armenia that are helping the Artsakh Armenians with funds, supplies or services. Armenia’s Ministry of Finance opened a bank account to receive donations from the public. There is also an office set up by the Armenian government to coordinate the distribution of the offered assistance.
Just in case anyone thinks that the pledged assistance is a lot of money, it is in fact a negligible amount compared to the vast needs of the refugees for the months and years to come. Ukraine, on the other hand, has received $80 billion so far from the United States for its military, financial and humanitarian needs. In addition, 41 other countries have contributed tens of billions of dollars to Ukraine.
The lack of concrete action by the Biden administration, aside from pledging $11.5 million to the Artsakh refugees, has greatly disappointed many Armenian-Americans. It is surprising that Pres. Biden, an experienced politician and candidate for reelection next year, who has one of the lowest ratings in the history of the United States for an incumbent president, has not made more of an effort to win over Armenian-American voters. Even if Pres. Biden does not care about Armenia and Artsakh, he should have at least cared about his own self-interest, which is getting votes for his re-election.
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Harut Sassounian
California Courier Editor
Harut Sassounian is the publisher of The California Courier, a weekly newspaper based in Glendale, Calif. He is the president of the Armenia Artsakh Fund, a non-profit organization that has donated to Armenia and Artsakh $917 million of humanitarian aid, mostly medicines, since 1989 (including its predecessor, the United Armenian Fund). He has been decorated by the presidents of Armenia and Artsakh and the heads of the Armenian Apostolic and Catholic churches. He is also the recipient of the Ellis Island Medal of Honor.
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The Armenian community of Greater Boston has come together following the tragic fall of Artsakh due to Azeri aggression. Not facing any opposition from the world, Azerbaijan’s dictator amassed a large force on the borders of Artsakh and launched an invasion after subjecting its Armenian population to an almost 10-month long blockade, preventing food, medicine, and other necessities from entering the country. The invasion has resulted in the ethnic cleansing of Artsakh, from which over 100,000 inhabitants have already left their homes, fearing rape, murder, and pillage at the hands of the Azeri invaders.
Clergy lead the community in a prayer for Artsakh, Sept. 22, 2023 (Photo: Ani Zargarian)
In its distress, the Armenian community of Boston came together for a prayer service and community gathering on Friday, September 22. The prayer service was conducted at St. Stephen’s Armenian Apostolic Church with clergy from Armenian churches in the Greater Boston area. The Very Reverend Fr. Mesrop Parsamyan, Primate of the Eastern Diocese of the Armenian Church of America, presided and delivered the homily. Very Rev. Fr. Ardag Arabian (Holy Trinity Church in Worcester), Very Rev. Fr. Ghazare Bedrosian (Holy Cross Armenian Catholic Church in Belmont), Archpriest Fr. Antranig Baljian (St. Stephen’s Church in Watertown), Rev. Fr. Arakel Aljalian (St. James Church in Watertown), Rev. Fr. Vazken Kouzouian (Holy Trinity Church in Cambridge), Rev. Fr. Stephan Baljian (St. Gregory Church in N. Andover), Rev. Fr. Khachatur Kesablyan (Sts. Vartanants Church in Chelmsford), Rev. Fr. Vart Gyozalyan (Armenian Church at Hye Point), Rev. Fr. Mikael Der Kosrofian (Soorp Asdvadzadzin Church of Whitinsville), Rev. Fr. Tadeos Barseghian (Church of Our Savior, Worcester), Rev. Dr. Avedis Boynerian (Armenian Church of the Martyrs in Worcester) and Deacon Asatur Baljyan (Choir Director at St. James Church in Watertown) participated in the community prayer service.
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Armenian Relief Society Central Executive Board chair Dr. Nyree Derderian (Photo: Ani Zargarian)
Following the service, more than 500 community members came together at the Armenian Cultural and Educational Center. Organized by the Armenian Revolutionary Federation of Boston, the event featured remarks by Dr. Nyree Derderian, the chairperson of the Armenian Relief Society Central Executive Board, who addressed the humanitarian crisis; Aram Hamparian, executive director of the Armenian National Committee of America, who highlighted advocacy avenues moving forward; Dr. Greg Demirchyan from the Armenian Bar Association, who discussed legal considerations for the status of the Armenians of Artsakh; and Weekly columnist Yeghia Tashjian, a regional analyst, who commented on the political situation on the ground and the threats facing Armenia. State Representative Steven Owens of Watertown joined the event in solidarity with the Armenian-American community.
Meghri DerVartanian (Photo: Sona Gevorkian)
On Saturday, September 30, the Pan Armenian Council of New England, working with local Armenian churches and organizations, held a rally at the Armenian Heritage Park on the Green. The event, which was hosted by Meghri Dervartanian and opened with an ecumenical prayer, raised awareness of the ethnic cleansing of the Armenians of Artsakh. “We are a force to drive positive change in our community,” Dervartanian said. “Let us not forget that we always survive…this is not the end! It will never be the end for the Armenian people. It will never be the end for Artsakh.”
Dr. Ara Nazarian of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation of Boston (Photo: Sona Gevorkian
This sentiment was reinforced by Dr. Ara Nazarian of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation of Boston. “Artsakh will always be Armenian, she will rejoin our nation again, and our brothers and sisters will return to their homeland,” he said.
Anthony Barsamian from the Armenian Assembly of America stated that the President of Azerbaijan must be prosecuted for war crimes. “We have got to be strong now because Armenia is at stake,” he said.
Rev. Laura Everett, executive director of the Massachusetts Council of Churches, stressed the need for the violence and displacement to end in Artsakh and for peace to prevail for its people.
Middlesex County Sheriff Peter Koutoujian (Photo: Sona Gevorkian)
Stating that this is the greatest threat to our community since the Genocide, Middlesex County Sheriff Peter Koutoujian urged, “Now is the time to move forward with one focus to beat with one Armenian heart.”
Ara Balikian from the Armenian General Benevolent Union of New England focused on the need to help the people of Artsakh and “alleviate their suffering” through all means available to the community.
Dr. Shant Parseghian from the Pan Armenian Council of New England joined the voices of each speaker in highlighting the needs of the Armenians of Artsakh. All addressed the humanitarian, advocacy and historical contexts of this monumental loss for the Armenian nation and the need for our government to stand on the right side of history and provide much-needed aid to the people of Artsakh, who have lost everything in a matter of a week.
“Being Armenian…means standing arm-in-arm in a city halfway across the world from our ancestral land and finding hope in our unity,” Ani Belorian of the Pan Armenian Council of New England concluded.
The Greater Boston community came together in support of Artsakh at the Armenian Heritage Park on The Greenway, Boston, Sept. 30, 2023 (Photo: Sona Gevorkian)
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Guest Contributor
Guest contributions to the Armenian Weekly are informative articles or press releases written and submitted by members of the community.
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The Civil Democratic Movement (CDM), an alliance of 12 Egyptian opposition parties, has alleged that the government is preventing potential candidates from obtaining the required endorsements to run in the presidential election in December. The CDM held a press conference on Wednesday, where they presented witnesses and evidence of various forms of intimidation, violence, and bribery that they said were aimed at blocking citizens from supporting anyone other than President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, who is seeking a third term in office.
According to Egypt’s election system, candidates need to secure either 20 endorsements from parliament members or 25,000 endorsements from citizens across 15 governorates. The CDM said that the latter option was almost impossible for the opposition, as they faced constant harassment and obstruction from pro-government forces at the notary offices where the endorsements are registered. They also claimed that hundreds of people were lured with food boxes and money to endorse el-Sisi.
The CDM’s main candidate, former MP Ahmed Tantawy, has only received a few dozen endorsements so far, despite having a large popular support base. His campaign said that even his own family members were unable to endorse him due to technical glitches and closures at the notary offices. Tantawy is the most prominent challenger to el-Sisi, who has been in power since 2013 after leading a coup against the Muslim Brotherhood government.
The CDM called on the National Election Authority (NEA) to investigate the violations and ensure a fair and transparent electoral process. The NEA has denied any wrongdoing and said it has extended the working hours of the notary offices to facilitate the endorsement process. The deadline for submitting the endorsements is October 14.
The CDM said it will decide whether to continue or boycott the election after the end of the nomination period. So far, only four politicians, including el-Sisi, have collected enough endorsements to run in the election. The CDM and other rights groups have expressed doubts over the credibility and freedom of the election, given el-Sisi’s crackdown on dissent and civil society in Egypt.