Day: May 8, 2024

President of Bulgaria concludes his official visit to Azerbaijan  AZERTAC News

President Erdoğan welcomes Azerbaijan’s Prime Minister Asadov | Daily Sabah  Daily Sabah

“Tavush for the Homeland” movement marching to Yerevan, May 7, 2024 (Photo: David Ghahramanyan)

YEREVAN—The Tavush for the Homeland movement was started by the villagers of Tavush, who are facing the existential threat of losing their homes due to the illegal surrender of Armenian lands to Azerbaijan announced by Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan.

It is part of the border demarcation and delimitation process currently taking place between Armenia and Azerbaijan, which contradicts international norms and principles, including the basic principle that any international agreement reached through the threat or use of force is null and void. 

The process is illegal, as the Constitution of the Republic of Armenia mandates that any territorial changes to the Republic of Armenia must be exclusively decided by referendum. There is no legal basis for the activity and powers of the demarcation commission created by the prime minister. 

A corresponding lawsuit has been submitted to the Armenia Prosecutor’s Office demanding that Pashinyan be held criminally responsible for illegally surrendering land as part of this process.

In fact, there is no agreed-upon delimitation and demarcation process—it is simply the unilateral concession of land under coercion by Azerbaijan. Given that Azerbaijani government propaganda refers to sovereign Armenian territory as “Western Azerbaijan,” it is clear the surrender of territories will allow Azerbaijan to better prepare its next attack and create serious security threats to the life and property of thousands of Armenians, as well as to undermine their free movement and endanger their cultural heritage.

As a result of this process, significant problems may arise in terms of communications, roads and various infrastructures (republican, regional and community roads, the gas pipeline entering Armenia, telecommunication and electricity channels, etc.), as stated by human rights NGOs such as Transparency International.

Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan offers a blessing during the “Tavush for the Homeland” movement (Photo: David Ghahramanyan)

For several years, the Azerbaijani armed forces have directly promoted war crimes such as the killing of civilians, including beheadings and executions, torture and other horrific crimes. Azerbaijan has cultivated anti-Armenian sentiment, repeatedly promoting racist rhetoric and systematically erasing any Armenian presence through the destruction of cultural heritage and elimination of traces of Armenian identity. 

The “Tavush for the Homeland” movement, led by Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan, the Primate of the Diocese of Tavush, aims to pressure Republic of Armenia authorities to stop this illegal process, which threatens the country’s territorial integrity, security and peace. 

“We are marching to Yerevan to end the unconstitutional and unilateral surrender of our land. Armenia’s borders must only be set by the Armenian state—not foreign dictates or violent demands,” said Archbishop Galstanyan. 

“No corner of Armenia is safe from the looming threat. Let us all join together in defense of our homeland, drawing inspiration from the historic times in Armenian history,” said “Hayastan” bloc MP from Tavush, Garnik Danielyan, who is participating in the march to Yerevan. 

The movement also aims to alert the international community to pressure Azerbaijan (and its ally Turkey) to refrain from any use of force during these peaceful protests or if Armenia stops the current unilateral concessionary process of “delimitation and demarcation.”

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Armenia

On May 7, at approximately 2:00 p.m., the body of contract soldier Artak Seryozhai Avalyan (born in 1985) was discovered with a gunshot wound in the guard station of the N military unit under the Ministry of Defense. This was confirmed by the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Armenia. “In order to fully elucidate the circumstances surrounding this tragic incident, an investigation has been launched,” stated the Ministry of Defense. The discovery of Avalyan’s body has prompted urgent inquiries into the events leading up to his death. 

Artsakh

According to Gegham Stepanyan, former Artsakh Ombudsman, 80-percent of refugees from Artsakh doubt the feasibility of returning. The International Court of Justice ruled in November 2023 that Azerbaijan must allow refugees’ return to Artsakh. Despite recognition of the right to return from Armenian and Azerbaijani authorities, as well as international bodies, Artsakh Armenians remain skeptical. Stepanyan highlighted refugees’ dilemma: stay in Armenia and face challenges with integration and financial hardships, or emigrate, forfeiting hopes of return. Stepanyan stressed the need to encourage refugees to remain in Armenia for any chance of eventual return to Artsakh.

Azerbaijan

The Foreign Ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan are set to convene in the Kazakh city of Almaty this week to hold talks on border demarcation. Kazakh Foreign Ministry spokesperson Aybek Smadiyarov confirmed the meeting during a press briefing in the capital Astana. Smadiyarov affirmed that the meeting, scheduled for May 10, is in line with prior agreements and has been endorsed by the Azerbaijani and Armenian Foreign Ministries. Last week, Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev welcomed the agreement between Azerbaijan and Armenia to hold talks at the foreign minister level in Almaty. 

Russia

The anticipated discussions between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, scheduled for today at the Kremlin, come at a crucial juncture. Dmitry Peskov, the press secretary of the Russian President, emphasized the necessity of the meeting in a briefing with journalists. “The meeting is necessary and expected for both sides,” Peskov stated, referring to pressing issues on the agenda. Earlier announcements from the Kremlin highlighted a buildup of “problematic issues” between Moscow and Yerevan and underscored the importance of the upcoming negotiations in providing clarity and resolution.

Turkey

Following a government meeting in Ankara, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan declared Turkey’s intention on May 6 to launch attacks on territories within Syria and Iraq. “Turkey will deliver a decisive blow to the separatist organization in Iraq and Syria in the near future,” Erdogan asserted, as reported by Turkish media outlets. The announcement signals a significant escalation in Turkey’s military operations in the region, aimed at targeting members of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK).

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May 8 in 60 seconds  1Lurer