YEREVAN – Through the mediation of the command of the Russian peacekeeping contingent stationed in Artsakh, Artsakh and Azerbaijan reached an agreement on a complete cessation of hostilities starting at 1 p.m. on September 20, 2023. The ceasefire went into effect 24 hours after Azerbaijan launched an assault on Artsakh, incessantly shelling civilian settlements and infrastructure.
The agreement entails the withdrawal of the remaining units and military personnel of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Armenia from the deployment zone of the Russian peacekeeping contingent; the disbandment and complete disarmament of the armed formations of the Artsakh Defense Army; and the withdrawal of heavy equipment and weapons from the territory of Artsakh with the aim of their speedy disposal.
Issues raised by the Azerbaijani side on reintegration, the rights and security of the Armenians of Artsakh, as well as the livelihoods of the population of Artsakh will be ensured within the framework of the Constitution of Azerbaijan, according to the agreement. These terms will be discussed at a meeting between representatives of the Artsakh government and representatives of the central authorities of Azerbaijan, which will take place in the Azerbaijani city of Yevlakh on September 21, 2023.
While an agreement was reached, fighting still continues along the line of contact and shootings are heard in Stepanakert. Military correspondent Davit Torosyan reported that at about 2:30 p.m. Azerbaijan began shelling in the direction of Martuni.
As a result of Azerbaijan’s heinous attacks on both the line of contact and the civilian populations, there are currently at least 32 dead and more than 200 wounded. Among the civilian population, there are seven dead, including two children, and 35 wounded, including 13 children.
According to the Russian Defense Ministry, a total of 2,261 civilians, including 1,049 children, are currently sheltering at the Russian peacekeepers’ base camp near Stepanakert.
Following the simultaneous opening of the Berdzor (Lachin) Corridor and the Aghdam (Akna)-Stepanakert road on September 18 for the transfer of Armenian produced flour and Russian and Swiss medical and hygiene products respectively, Azerbaijan launched another offensive on the early morning of September 19 in the region of Askeran using mortars.
President of the Republic of Artsakh Samvel Shahramanyan stated that the preservation of state institutions is one of their priorities, and it is necessary to wage an uncompromising fight against those who undermine the foundations of the state. He also said that the decision to allow the transportation of humanitarian aid via Aghdam did not imply any concessions on the issue of preserving the subjectivity of Artsakh.
In preparation of a new military escalation in the region and in line with their policy for ethnic cleansing, the Azerbaijani Ministry of Defense began spreading disinformation the night before the offensive, claiming that the Artsakh Defense Army attacked the Azerbaijani positions in the Askeran region.
Bombing of Artsakh’s capital city of Stepanakert began at 1:20 p.m. The deputy mayor of Stepanakert also reported hearing gunshots in the outskirts of the city and noted that officials were gathering citizens in bunkers for safety purposes.
Member of the National Assembly of the Republic of Artsakh, Metakse Hakobyan, reported that Stepanakert received heavy fire. “We thought the shots were coming only from the direction of Askeran, but I understand by the sound that they are also shooting from the direction of Shushi. Stepanakert is being bombarded from all sides, more so than during the 44-day war,” Hakobyan said.
At around 2 p.m., the Azerbaijani Army violated the ceasefire along the entire line of contact, launching rocket artillery strikes. The office of the President of Artsakh issued a statement saying, “Azerbaijan launched large-scale military operations against the Republic of Artsakh on September 19, targeting civilian objects and the civilian population, leading to multiple casualties and injuries, including women, children and elderly.”
Shahramanyan urgently convened a meeting of the Security Council to discuss the situation and contemplate further actions. Taking into account the threat to the life and health of thousands of people, official Stepanakert called on international actors and all interested parties to immediately take all necessary measures to stop the aggression against Artsakh.
While Azerbaijani UAVs continued to fly over Stepanakert and shelling continued on the entire line of contact, the Azerbaijani MoD put out a statement justifying what it called “local anti-terrorist measures” against the “illegally stationed” Armenian Armed Forces in Artsakh. It said the purpose of the offensive was the “prevention of large-scale provocations expected by the Armenian Armed Forces in the Karabakh economic region,” “ensuring the implementation of the provisions of the Tripartite Declaration, disarming and withdrawing the units of the Armenian Armed Forces from our territories, neutralizing their military infrastructure,” and “to restore the constitutional structure of the Republic of Azerbaijan.”
The statement also claimed that the Azerbaijani armed forces did not target the civilian population.
Official Yerevan has repeatedly announced that the Republic of Armenia does not have an army in Artsakh, which the International Crisis Group has verified.
Failing to take any preventative action to defend Artsakh, Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan convened a meeting of the Security Council of Armenia to discuss the large-scale military operations unleashed by Azerbaijan against Artsakh. Later in a Facebook live, to justify not intervening in the fighting in Artsakh, Pashinyan emphasized that “the main target and purpose of Azerbaijan’s attack is to involve the Republic of Armenia in a military operation.”
By 4 p.m, the Artsakh Defense Army put out a statement that in addition to continuous fire from various weapons along the line of contact, the Azerbaijani Armed Forces were also attempting to make positional advancements into the territories of Artsakh.
Following an announcement by Artsakh authorities calling on Azerbaijan to immediately cease their military operations and sit down at the negotiation table to resolve the situation, the situation on the border calmed down for a short period of time, only to pick up again after Azerbaijan issued its own demands for the negotiations. These demands were presented in a statement made by the Presidential Administration of the Republic of Azerbaijan. It said that Azerbaijan is ready to meet with Artsakh representatives in the city of Yevlakh in Azerbaijan, only in the case of a total surrender by Artsakh. “Illegal Armenian military formations must raise the white flag, all the weapons must be handed over, and the illegal regime must be dissolved. Otherwise, antiterror measures will be continued until the end,” the statement read.
One day prior to the large-scale escalation, Azerbaijan agreed to open both the Berdzor Corridor and the Aghdam-Stepanakert route simultaneously to humanitarian aid. During its attacks, the MoD of Azerbaijan reaffirmed its policy of ethnic cleansing, announcing, “In order to ensure the evacuation of the population from the danger zone, humanitarian corridors and reception points have been created on the Lachin road and in other directions.”
As the fighting continued, at 7 p.m. Stepanyan reported that the Yeghtsahogh community of Shushi region, with a total of 150 residents, had come under the direct target of the Azerbaijani side. Azerbaijani Armed Forces destroyed the local school and completely surrounded the community, leaving no possibility of evacuation of local Armenians.
Former State Minister and Human Rights Ombudsman of Artsakh, Artak Beglaryan, reported at 7:30 p.m. that “the genocidal forces of Aliyev used an aircraft strike over 20 minutes ago near Martakert town and a village of the Askeran region. I don’t have any information on the consequences yet. The shelling and battles are continuous, civilian and military deaths/injuries are increasing.” Stepanyan later tweeted that explosions continued to be heard in Stepanakert with UAV strikes. He assured the people that while military activities are ongoing, the Artsakh Defense Army is doing its best to prevent a bloody genocide of the Armenian people.
Stepanyan also informed the public that 7,000 civilians had been evacuated from six different communities in Artsakh including Khramort, Khnabad, Sarnaghpyiour, Nakhichevanik, Machkalashen and Chankatagh.
The official page of the Human Rights Ombudsman of Artsakh reported that the entire population of Artsakh remained in bunkers with no electricity, communication, food or heating in the cold weather conditions. Azerbaijan targeted the civilian infrastructure and the civilian population, using military aviation, artillery and UAVs.
At 5 a.m. on September 20, an ambulance of the Stepanakert morgue was transferring eight dead bodies from the Martakert region to Stepanakert when Azerbaijani forces opened fire. The driver sustained injuries and was unable to transport the bodies.
On the morning of September 20, Beglaryan announced that Azerbaijan had taken control of some communities, strategic heights and roads of Artsakh. “They also cut the road connection between some parts of Artsakh, creating additional local blockades in all regions. The people are facing a growing threat of pogroms.” Beglaryan also announced that the Martakert region is under siege.
At 10 a.m., journalist Marat Yeganyan reported that the people of the Martakert region were being evacuated. There was also footage reportedly showing the evacuation of residents of Askeran to the Ivanyan airport, where the headquarters of the Russian peacekeeping troops is located.
On September 20, Shahramanyan convened an extended session of the Security Council. The head of state noted that the reaction of international actors to the situation in Artsakh is not adequate, and no practical steps had been taken. As a result, Artsakh would be forced to take appropriate steps, with the overarching goal of ensuring the physical safety of the population as a priority.
Hoory Minoyan
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This attack which I had been warning of has come to pass. I also had warned that the war in Ukraine would have consequences far beyond and that Armenians shouldn’t ignore on the grounds it wasn’t in Armenia and Armenians weren’t stakeholders was to deny the reality of the world we live in. I often received scoffing responses to my statements warning that Armenia needed to pay attention. Naturally this will intensify the ongoing debate whether Armenia should go closer or further from Russia either way an open debate is necessary it’s clearly impossible to carry on as before. Pashinyan is either a courageous leader realising that Armenia couldn’t stay the way it was and had been too beholden to Russia or a spiteful traitor betraying his country without gaining alternative allies
Either way an end of an era
The pro Russian Armenians should take note of the criticism and warnings to Azerbaijan by the EU and USA so much for the west doesn’t care at all for us notions
Pashinyan is a traitor.
What more needs to be said?
The only thing that can be done now is to ensure that Armenians are not expelled from Artsakh and that churches and monastries are not vandalised and turned into mosques.
As for the diaspora, they need to be permanently silent, after all, they love Armenia so much, they’ll live anywheree but there.
This is what that useless vindictive traitor journalist acting as PM has brought to Armenia. This loser hated Artsakh. I remember well when the first thing he did was dismantle the seasoned generals one by one and installed useless incompetents just like him. HE weakened Armenia’s security almost purposefully to lose the war. I remember Armenia’s Minister of Diaspora Sinanyan on a US tour who said that they all knew the war was lost early on “because of Pashinyan’s incompetence”. This is totally unacceptable. He needs to be rid at all cost. This loser is a danger to All Armenians.
Pashinyan is a puppet. His job was to lose Artsakh first and then Armenia. Mark my word.
But you, and posters like you, forget that the majority of eligible voters in Armenia re-elected Pashinyan’s party in 2021.
Armenia is finished if the current regime does not fall.
Just because the alleged majority voted for him does not mean they were right. Just look at the results.
@Vahe. It wasn’t “alleged” majority. It was a simple majority of eligible voters. Whether they were right or wrong is irrelevant, the fact remains they represented the majority of Armenia’s voters. And these voters elected and, after handing the victory to the Azeris with thousands of young soldiers’ deaths, re-elected the current traitor. During the Kocharyan and Sargsyan regimes, Armenians were complaining about rigged elections. But this time the elections were fair and transparent. So, I guess my question is: what do Armenians want? The results are catastrophic, I agree. But somehow I fail to see masses of disgruntled people flooding the streets of Armenia’s cities.
My prediction about the complete reintegration of karabakh into Azerbaijan comes to pass. Armenia can’t survive in it’s neighborhood when Three of its neighbors have reservations about possible revanchist claims on them by Armenia. That fear at the back of their minds due to Armenian rhetoric and actions is keeps Azerbaijani’s, Georgians and Turks as close Allie’s. normalization of relations is the only hope for Armenia. I predict Georgia blocking it’s borders with Armenia if things continue to deteriorate, because it only takes one person to start claiming southern Georgia is Armenian territory for thousands of eons.
@Austin Onah. Armenia has no “claims” on Georgia. Stop the cheap Turkic propaganda portraying as if three out of four Armenia’s neighbors have problems with Armenia as a unified “alliance”. Second, what Armenia has towards Turkey and Azerbaijan is not “revanchist claims” but righteous indignation for Turkey’s emptying historical lands of Armenia of their indigenous Armenian population as a result of the genocide and for the Bolsheviks and the British attaching two historically Armenian provinces of Artsakh and Nakhichevan to a never-before-existing state of Azerbaijan they created in 1918. I have a hard time understanding how this can be considered “revanchist claims”? Do you mean to say there was no historical Kingdom of Armenia or Western Armenia or Armenian-populated provinces in the Ottoman Empire or the Armenian Question placed in the international agenda following the 1878 Congress of Berlin and up until the genocide in 1915?
Stop with the twisted thinking you’ve been brought up to be believe. Turks and their Turkified Persian buddies (the Azeris) started all this with their ethnic cleansing and extermination of the Armenians, first by the Turks in 1915 then by the attempts by the Azeris on the Armenians in Artsakh after the fall of the Soviet Union. It is you and your ilk that cannot live peaceably with your neighbors. As the Greeks, Syrians, and Cypriots can also attest to.
What happened is a natural by-product of 30 years of corruption and political mismanagement. In the big picture, what’s happening in Armenia and Artsakh today is part of a greater geopolitical struggle taking place throughout Eurasia. The process we are in today started many years ago. More specifically, the said process accelerated as a result of the Western-financed coup in Kiev in 2014. Knowing that a global crisis was approaching the region Armenia is in today, what did we do as a people? Instead of making the necessary land concessions and moving deeper into Russia’s protective umbrella, we did the opposite. Armenians effectively maneuvered Armenia right out of political contention and straight into a dead-end. As a result, Armenia today is simply a pawn in the deadly game taking place in and around it. Consequently, Armenia is no longer in any position to control or to even influence events. Therefore, what will happen, will happen. Let things come to their logical conclusions. And whatever happens, let’s remember that in the big picture it will be our collective fault.
We collectively made Armenia and Artsakh vulnerable to Western and Turkish meddling ultimately because we wanted to distance ourselves from Russia’s perceived “overbearing” influence. We proudly used “complimentary politics” to avoid land concessions. We enthusiastically adopted all forms of Western agendas. We hosted an army of Western financed NGOs and one of the largest US embassies in the world. In a nutshell, we wanted to embrace the “progressive West” as a buffer against “repressive Russia”. We did everything possible to maintain “independence” from Russia, even while we knew we were almost totally dependent on Russia for survival. It was collective cognitive dissonance at work. All in all, we collectively alienated Russia from Armenia, and did so at the worst possible time. This is where the traditional Diaspora, to its eternal shame, played a significant role. The Diaspora has acted as a pack-animal for all sorts of Western – and Turkish – agendas inside Armenia throughout the past 30 years.
Putting all political nuances and speculations aside, if any of you reading this had at any time spoken against Serj Sargsyan, Robert Kocharyan or Russia or President Putin, you contributed to what Armenia and Artsakh are going through today. Said otherwise, you got what you wanted in 2018 – a Western financed “democratic” revolution. You then got what you deserved in 2020 – a historic defeat. Said otherwise, if any of you reading this supported Nikol’s rise in any way, you also have blood on your hands, and you are also responsible for the tragedy taking place in Artsakh.
People deserve the governments they have. There are no free meals in politics. Political illiteracy has a high cost. The road to hell is paved with good intentions. Revolutions end up eating their children. You reap what you sow.
Could not have said it better. Right on all counts.
I agree with you 100%
We should’ve made the Azeris recognize Artsakh’s independence 30 years ago when we had the chance. Stopping our advance and allowing a ceasefire to take hold before this recognition was stupid. I don’t understand that move. They say the Russians forced the ceasefire – I don’t quite believe that.
Enough is enough to blame others for our mishaps, We should learn to depend on ourseleves, 100 years passed for Khrimian Hayrig’s statement of the paper ladle, we didn’t learn anything, we lost 30 precious years doing nothing but to sit and eat kebab.
To be clear this is a continuation of the genocide of Christian Armenians that started in 1896 when 300,000 Armenians were killed. The genocide continued from 1915-1923 when 1.5 million Armenians were killed at the hands of the Turks. Their blood brothers in Azerbaijan killed thousands more and forced the evacuation of 250,000 Armenians from the Baku region (capital of Azerbaijan, in the late 1980s, Russians – true their roots of only caring from themselves – are not even living up to the defense pact they have with Armenia and let the latest fighting and slaughter of Armenians continue – while the Azeris launder Russian oil to fund the war in Ukraine.
The US continues to support Turkey and Azerbaijan – two countries run by dictators and allies of Putin – while they ignore the plight of the people of the democratic republic of Armenia and the self proclaimed region of Artsakh (Nagorno Karabagh that borders Armenia) now made up of 120,000 indigenous native Armenians who want to be part of Armenia.
As my aunt, the last survivor in my family born in Kharpert stated almost 30 years ago – “The Turks (note – she saw no difference between Turks and Azeris) will do to Artsakh as to what they did in Nakhchivan”.
And anyone who believes Russians to help anyone but themselves is delusional. Look at the condition they left countries captured under the Iron Curtain from WW2 until ~1990.
To be clear – the genocide by the Turks continues.
@ Lawrence kueffer
So many of the posters here seem to be delusional it’s nice to see one who sees the truth for what it is. Some of the comments are quite insane actually! Clearly this narrow minded sentiment must have reigned in Armenia and N-K. To survive a root and branch change of character is needed. The fact that Arktash had no international support as such ever seems lost on most of the posters, how an earth could an entity recognised by trans dienister, Abkasia and south Ossetia which have no status possibly be accepted as an independent entity. It was a conflict unlike say Israel -Palestine which has excessive attention but equally important international pressure to try and find a settlement or the Bosnia and Kosovo conflicts which were manipulated by the USA interventions that the belligerents were left to settle it out in N-K so in that sense Azerbaijan wasn’t going to get open foreign intervention nor was Armenia any meaningful support for an independent Arktash. The chance of having a fudge under the Madrid protocols where it’s technically part of Azerbaijan but under no authority from Baku was squandered by maximilism just like the Tamil Elam cause in Sri Lanka. Russia has shown it’s conciet by thinking and acting as though Armenia will remain just as loyal after all it’s part of internationally recognised Azerbaijan, just ignore what we are getting up to in Ukraine and the failures we are having and condemning Armenian recognise N-K as Azerbaijan when it always stated that it was part of Azerbaijan also we’re your only friend and you have no where else to go is not the attitude that a responsible nation should have either. Flailing around some posters claim here that Georgia is in alliance against Armenia whilst there is the issue of the Armenian population in south Georgia it is a comfortable one and there hasn’t been any serious agitation indeed during the Bolshevik sign away Georgia told Armenia that it would be better for the area to go to Georgia rather than Turkey which the Bolsheviks wanted to do actually so discreetly they were friends. It’s been well known the major impediment to closer relations between Armenia and Georgia has been Armenia relationship with Russia rather than Armenian community in Georgia issues perhaps with the collapse of the relationship between Armenia and Russia, Georgia with the west backing is more likely to seek better relationships with Armenia it’s Christian neighbour rather than deepen their relationship with their Turkic Muslim neighbours actually but is likely to be done discretely. Also if Azerbaijan is able to force a link to nax and hence Turkey with no Armenian control then Georgia will loose some of its importance to Turkey and Azerbaijan hence Georgia would rather an Armenia that exists rather than be destroyed by the Turks with Russian concurrence .The fact that Azerbaijan launders Russian oil and gas and serves as the land link between Russia and Iran and Turkey helps this and whilst Turkey is part of NATO it’s an odd one out being primarily Muslim and it’s considered an ally in name only. These facts are carefully ingnored or possibly the posters are so ignorant not to know this by their lack of context. What had unquestionably gone wrong was a shocking conciet to suppose because they won in 1994 it would entitled to win any future encounter on that basis a malaise that was to be so devastating. Yet the same people refuse to factor the losses their idol, sponsor Russia is enduring in Ukraine because this undermines the if we had Russia’s full support we would be fine narrative it’s so sad that they can’t take notes from a contemporaneous conflict to see the reality of what happened to them. Also they should take note of Syria where Russia in its spread betting policies declined to supply it’s ally air defence weapons S 300 etc against Israeli (whom it has also been courting to the annoyance of both, remember Aesop’s fable about the father son and donkey) attacks and apparently not wanting to risk their reputation in the event of Israel destroying them only to have the Ukrainians do so to their own which they can’t hide behind the they didn’t use our designed, manufactured equipment properly excuse Putin has been too clever by half …
@Charles
You claim some of the comments are, in your view, quite insane, yet you don’t seem to be capable of expressing and organizing your (bizarre and quirky) scribblings. Are you a cockney by chance?
Illegitimate Nicole has been busy with his deceitful and fabricated stories, for years he has let Armenia down a disastrous path. This guy has betrayed every Armenian all over the world, He is criminal and taxic, total disaster, I hope people come to understand the depth of what we are facing and reject it with vigor and kick this traitor out.
All is correct, except that he is “illegitimate”. On the contrary, the majority of our Armenian brothers and sisters chose to reelect his party in fair and transparent elections. Concerned, and of course before him several renowned politicians, were right saying that people deserve the governments they have.
@Hran Harry. Intelligent people—and I’m sorry to say you don’t seem to be one of them as all of your intellectual acumen could produce is phrases such as “leaking boots”—understand that geographical location, as the principal determinant of a nation’s vulnerability, exercises the most powerful constraint on the way a country’s defense, national security, and foreign policy are made, and on the set of the country’s foreign policy choices. Armenia, and its geographical proximity to Russia, is one of such nations. Now, take this universally acknowledged truth to your BFFs in the U.S. and NATO, if you will, and keep the rest of your balderdash to yourself.
I hope, after the recent change of leadership in Artsakh, Russians will do the same in Armenia.
You can continue leaking Russians boots; however, you can take that Putin propaganda back to your ignorant people in Russia Intelligent people have no time for your petulance and regurgitated nonsense.
So, all you people who are criticizing Pashinyan and calling him a traitor would rather gamble Armenian independence completely by fighting a war with Azerbaijan that they cannot possibly win. Continuation on Russian support is a dream and the only chance Armenia has to survive long term is to continue moving toward the United States and NATO. To think otherwise is just nationalistic nonsense. . .
Don’t you know living, I suppose, in the “wonderland” called the United States that the phrase “you people” is, to put it mildly, a problematic phrase which sometimes carries a negative connotation? How do you know that Armenia cannot win the war against Azerbaijan? Please do not refer us to the so-called “war” of 2020 because it wasn’t a full-scale war involving Armenia’s armed forces and volunteers, but Pashinyan’s handing the victory to the Azeris. And please open our eyes as to exactly how Armenia survives long term by moving toward the United States and NATO? Do you mean to say that the United States will extend natural gas and oil pipelines across the Atlantic Ocean to the Mediterranean and Black seas to Armenia, supply the country with the nuclear fuel, wheat and other basic commodities, station a military base there, defend Armenia against the Turks always posing a potential threat, and resolve the Nagorno-Karabakh issue in Armenia’s favor? Let us, lay people, know your ideas…
Iran and Russia will never allow Armenia to become NATO even if they have to invade Armenia.
Nationalistic nonsense? People like you will drive Armenia into nonexistence.
and do you truly believe the enemy stops with Artsakh? if you do, then you are the one who is believing the Pashinyan nonsense koolade
@Michael Kasparian. Syunik is next. What Azeris and Turkey really want is the direct route, under the jurisdiction, from Asia to Azerbaijan to Turkey to Europe. Karabakh was on the way too. Now they got that. Syunik is next. They are transparent about this. Is that also not worth “gambling Armenian independence,” oh high and mighty you! There will be nothing left to gamble for.
Now I have a question for you. Why did all this unravel and so fast during Pashinyan? I think I know the answer, but I’d like to hear your honest answer.
We HAVE TO get rid of him people. Don’t allow the unimaginable to happen.
First of all if we were aligned with Russia the war would never happen. Second, pashinyan removed our veteran generals and replaced them with his incompetents. Third, the Armenian army was never fully or even considerably mobilized to help Artsakh in this latest war. Only volunteer detachments were sent to fight. This war and collapse could’ve easily been avoided if not for pashinyan’s treachery.
Armenians held Artsakh for 30 years. What changed? Pashinyan that’s what changed. Armenia is vulnerable because of HIM. He weakened the military structure and some would say purposely. Armenia’s military was considered one of the most able and capable in Caucuses. Pashinyan the traitor loser implant changed all that.
@Arabo it’s that “righteous revanchist/irredentist” ideology that will be the bane of 2.9 million strong Armenia. An atmosphere of constant enmity with your neighbors has and will never benefit Armenia, you can ask Armenian migrants in Istanbul and Moscow to confirm. You say Georgians are not in an alliance with turkey and Azerbaijan because Armenia doesn’t claim land from them yet? think again, Georgia lost two Territories to Russian backed separatists, if you think the Georgians haven’t factored in their Armenian minority and influence of Armenia in Georgia through them, you are highly mistaken. If anything Georgia is loving a weak Armenia right now, less trouble in the future.
The constant enmity comes from Armenia’s two neighboring Turkic nations. One has perpetrated the genocidal extermination of indigenous Armenian populations back in 1915, and then, in 1991, when the remnant of Armenia became independent, had never established diplomatic relations with Yerevan and never opened the border. A Turkic attachment to Turkey, the never-before existed nation of Azerbaijan in the east, received as a gift two historically Armenian provinces in the early 1920s and, through its conscious policy to drive out nationalities and to force assimilation on those who remained, reduced the Armenian population in Nakhichevan to 1.4% in 1974 and in Nagorno-Karabakh to 75.9% in 1979. Now go figure out who has created an atmosphere of constant enmity with neighbors.
“An atmosphere of constant enmity with your neighbors has and will never benefit Armenia” That is an admission of inferiority and throwing in the towel. Loser mentality and weak.
I agree with Michael Kasparian. Russia is not the Soviet Union anymore. It has no power. The future lies with the west.
Do you really believe that lahmacun is Turkish? Or just following the known national trend of stealing everything from others?
The future lies with the west? They can barely hang on to their system.
It’s easy to knock Pashinyan when Armenians suffer a loss, but any military action on his part would have given Aliyev a perfect excuse to invade sovereign Armenian territory. We’re not prepared for all-out war against Azerbaijan, which has benefited from arms supplied by Turkey, Israel and even the U.S.
Who is to be blamed for that lack of strength? The Pashinyan regime, of course. SO, he is to be blamed.
Pashinyan did make attempts to heal the rift between himself and Putin; but Putin and the CSTO refused to meet him halfway and do their part in a restoration of the relationship. Pashinyan’s cries for help fell upon deaf ears, and worse than deaf ears. After months and years of being hung out to dry, Pashinyan renewed is overtures to the Western Nations, what did Putin expect, after conspiring (with Aliyev & Erdogan) to do damage to the Armenian People.
Putin is fine with Azerbaijan tilting to the West, but he punishes Armenian Christians for expanding their alliance interests; he contradicts his own judgments.
That’s right: Azerbaijan is in bed with NATO Turkey, Israel, India’s nemesis Pakistan, the EU, the Chechens, even the USA, but Putin & Russia are fine with that; on the other hand, Armenia made modest shifts to the West, and Putin used that as an excuse to backstab Armenians in Pro-Russia Artsakh, as well as Armenia.
I agree that Pashinyan should be removed from office, but that doesn’t make Putin right, for backstabbing innocent Armenians in Artsakh. If you don’t believe me, then take a look at the Russian flags waving over the Baku Victory Parade.
Nikol needs to be chased out of the country and Armenia needs to be brought into the Russian Federation. That is the only way forward for Armenia. God bless Armenia. God bless Russia.
Oh give it up on 30 years of corruption and kebabs. People saying this garbage are Nikol’s fakes.
Corruption corruption. Money can always be made again. You need an asset on which to earn the money. Once you give away your land, your asset, with mines, vineyards, orchards, power plants, you will NEVER have an opportunity to earn money again. You will be poor forever. That’s what dumb people don’t understand. And your Nikol gave away the asset, with bad deals he made with Aliev, with constant lying to everyone, with poor diplomacy, with unqualified staff whom he changed like underwear. Total chaos underpinned by incompetence and constant lies. And quite likely with corruption. He gave away the asset that wasn’t his to begin with. Now he’s laying the blame on anyone but himself.
Now to Arabo who keeps insisting that he was legitimately elected by the majority of population. First, 60% of 25% ain’t no real majority. It’s 15% of the eligible voter population. Hardly a convincing legitimacy. Second, after telling the whole world that elections were cheated in Armenia for 30 years, Nikol kept cheater-in-chief, the head of the Election Committee Mukuchyan in his job during that election cycle. You got to wonder why.
@Lucy. Nowhere in my posts have I said that Nikol “was legitimately elected by the majority of population”. I said he was elected by the majority of eligible voters. Please do not twist my words. And I hope you understood that the point I was making wasn’t intended to support his legitimacy but to demonstrate that the masses of people who elected him deserve to have such an incompetent, submissive and unpatriotic leader devoid of national dignity. It is not true that 60% of 25% of the population voted for him. In reality, the turnout (again, of eligible voters) was 49.37%, of which his party received 53.95%. This is not to say that there aren’t large segments of population who despise him. But the fact remains that he had and still has a relatively broad-based public support… to the detriment of Armenia’s sovereignty and Artsakh’s existence.
Well said, Lucy. Pashinyan and his masters have placed Armenia in the worst possible position, ever. Armenia might not even exist in a few years.
This will not be a useless “commentary” just like all of the preceding opinions and comments; words and lengthy opinions do not add up to anything.
A CALL TO ARMS TO ALL ARMENIANS IN ARMENIA and THE WORLDWIDE DIASPORA
If you all truly care for the survival of our tiny independent homeland Armenia and Nagorno-Karabagh, then let’s create a Global Unified Armenian Front whose mission would be the following:
1. To immediately topple the regime of the incompetent buffoon called Pashinyan and his cohorts, reform the government in Armenia with educated, experienced and brave politicians and military commanders;
2. Initiate a worldwide fundraiser for a Defence Budget for Armenia and immediately begin acquisition of modern weapons from North Korea, India, France and Russia to modernize and equip the Armenian Air Force with state-of-the-art warplanes, bombers, air-defence systems, multiple-rocket launchers and a large squadron of UAV drones.
3. Install martial law in Armenia and make military service mandatory both for young men and women ages 18-25;
4. Forbid emigration out of Armenia for a minimum of 5 years ( you really don’t have any idea how MASSIVE has been the exodus of Armenians from Armenia in the past 22 months, by some estimates it has reached close to 280,000 Armenian citizens who have left their homeland permanently …).
5. Have an emergency meeting with the leadership of the Russian Federation to find a way to a binding and committed defense pact for the national security of Armenia.
There it is. There is no OTHER solution to this crisis. Armenia’s government and the Armenian diaspora organisations can cry Bloody Murder all they want, NONE of the Western governments including the USA, France, UK or the EU will lift a finger. Understand this fully.
Well, who is ready to take action NOW?
Please come back from Glendale, these sermons from afar don’t hold much water. Please lead by example rather than speech. Talking is cheap it is the actions which really matter
Agreed, Zeytunsi, we all need to take action, although we should’ve been mobilized earlier. I will do what I can to help.
Meanwhile, Putin screws Armenia in his best interest, preparing for another land transaction with Turkey, or a better buyer. When I read all your comments here in Armenian Weekly about Armenia and Artsakh and the wars and the history of Armenia, neither the government nor its people have learned any lessons from our sad history of Armenia, especially after the 2020 war.
It’s too late to do something positive for the Armenian at Artsakh; what the Armenian living around the world played role except showing some sympathy. Now we’ve to face the consequences, so don’t shed tear.
Plz pray for us.
As long as Armenians exist in the future there is always hope. All this complaining is doing nothing more than demoralizing Armenians and that is exactly what they want. Learn from mistakes. Plan for the future. That is all.
Brothers and sisters!
What’s with all the complaints and sadness? We won! We finally got what we wanted in 2018? Come on dear people dont, tell me you didn’t know who you were supporting back in 2018. We all knew who Nikol was back then. Remember his essays about Gharabagh and Russia going back to the early 2000s? Remember his role in trying to bring democracy to Armenia in 2008, hand in hand with our great statesman Levon Ter Petrosyan? We knew who our democratic prime minister Nikol was. We knew what our dear leader Nikol wanted. We voted for him not once but twice. Remember? So why are you all complaining now? The honest man did what he said he will do. We empowered him to do what he said he will do. We democratically elected our great and glorious leader Nikol Pashinyan not once but TWICE for two purposes – free Armenia from the 30 year old proble called Gharabagh and free Armenia from those oppressive and utterly undemocratic Russians.
Forget that little troubled region called Gharabagh, it was just a headache. Gharabagh stopped Armenians from being happy with their wonderful neughbors. Wake up. The real problem Armenia has is Russia. We need to make friends with Turks and unite with the civilized world (i.e. freedom and democracy loving West) and defeat aggressor Russia. Anyone watching BBC and CNN to see what’s going on in the world? Russia wants to takeover the whole world and stop all people from being westernized and happy. Putler (i.e. Putin+Hitler=Putler) must be stopped – now! Armenia must be liberated from Russia – now! This is the most important thing in the universe – now!
Our freedom loving and democratically elected leader Nikol Pashinyan started the process to free Armenia from Russian rule in 2018 with all our help, but the poor man is not done yet. So please stop the silly complaining and protests and just let our duly elected, freedom loving and enlightened Pashinyan finish his sacred work of freeing Armenia of its Gharabagh problem and start valiantly fighting the Russian Bear, side by side with our freedom and democracy loving brothers and sisters in Slava Ukraine!
This is simply not the time to complain and protest. Besides, we won. Rememner? We won! We got what we wanted in 2018. We got what we wanted in 2020. We got what we wanted in 2021. Now, just relax and let our wonderful prime minister finish his work. There will be plenty of time afterwards to protest Armenia’s and Gharabagh’s disappearance from the world and feed and shelter Armenian refugees.
Greg: YOU are hopeless. Unbelievable! Even a 5 year old can see clearly and understand that this equally moronic “leader” of yours, Qliraqer pashinyan, destroyed Karabagh and Armenia in 4 years. STOP your idiotic mentality and stupid comments.
@Greg, you captured it well. As Concerned has said, anyone who at anytime has supported pashinyan has the blood of thousands and the loss of Artsakh on his hands, plus the loss of Armenia thats coming. And that includes many of the people on this commentary who are now supposedly against pashinyan.
Let every Armenian look in the mirror and asked if they’ve supported pashinyan in 2018. If the answer is yes then you have lost the right to comment about anything in geopolitics regarding Armenia. Stick to whatever it is you do for a daily job. I dont mean to be offensive but while we have such politically and historically ignorant Armenians then democracy will continue to be destructive for us. Unfortunately that’s 90% of us.
Greg you keep saying the same thing again and again and it’s become a bore now. It’s like copy paste of your own messages again and again. It doesn’t add up to anything.
Putin punished Armenia for trying to break loose from its stranglehold, do you think the Russian peacekeepers were not aware of the Karabakh operation? They had at least 3 reasons to do so one was the closeness Nikol has shown towards Ukraine by sending his wife to meet Zelinski, signed a deal so that putin could be arrested if he wanted to visit Yerevan and thirdly trying to move out of the CSTO ambit
Azerbaijan cleverly played their move and Karabakh is totally in their control
@Mir. A correction: Armenia’s recent move to become a party to the Rome Statute was not against Russia but because of war crimes committed on Armenia’s territory by Azerbaijan.
Tired of reading so-called “Armenian” talk-talk bla-bla patriots, who even one year did not live in Armenia! Stop talking stupidities, come and live in Armenia instead! I agree with Levin, Cynthia and Vahé!
It seems that the behavior of the Kremlin in the latest peacekeeping action in Nagorno-Karabakh and disarming Armenian defenders will become Putin’s next problem parallel with Ukraine’s front in the South Caucasus.
https://www.cnbc.com/2023/09/22/nagorno-karabakh-crisis-azerbaijan-and-armenia-clash-over-enclave.html
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/sep/20/nagorno-karabakh-events-show-russia-grip-on-its-old-backyard-is-slipping-azerbaijan-armenia
Azerbaijan plans to jail all Armenian men in Karabakh who have served in the army and/or participated in the last 2 wars. This means every single Armenian man of Karabakh. They have already requested lists of people. Is this not a Holocaust?
They have blocked passage via Lachin to Armenia so no Armenians can even escape to Armenia. Every one of us has a duty to raise hell in the West. Call your politicians, speak up on social media. Do everything you can to help prevent this human catastrophe. US/West needs to send military planes to airlift the Armenians from Karabakh. Azeris won’t dare shoot down US military planes. The alternative is all Armenian men will be murdered/jailed/tortured. There are over 100,000 Armenians left in Karabakh.
Sorry Lucy, you need to get your facts straight. It’s pashinyan who is trying to block 120,000 Artsakh Armenians from entering Armenia. He knows their vengeful presence will not bode well for his regime and physical safety. Everything he has done is perfectly coordinated with the Azeris. This too can be negotiated. Otherwise it would be aliyevs dream to completely depopulate Artsakh. I suspect a small percentage will remain in Artsakh to give the Russians an excuse to maintain a military presence but the rest will be scattered throughout Russia and other countries forever disappearing at pashinyans request.
Yes brothers and sisters!
We need to lay off Nikol Pashinyan because he is busy fighting evil Russians for all of humanity and instead beg freedom loving Western officials to save is…
I am calling Menendez because he absolutley loves Armenians and I know for sure he would personally go to Baku to show Aliyev who’s the boss…
(Ring, ring, ring, ring…)
He is not picking for some reason :(
Thanks for that news, in detail. It’s grim news, unfortunately, but it is what it is.
Yes, you’re right, it’s time to blitz the US Congress & Executive Branch with a war of words, on behalf of Artsakh-Armenians.
Unfortunately, Bob Menendez, Armenia’s best friend in the US Senate, is now weakened by charges of corruption. He’s a voice for vulnerable people, worldwide.
I agree with Gurgen2. Nikol will make sure the majority of Artsakh Armenians are scattered throughout Russia, the US, and Europe, and not all concentrated in Armenia so as not to pose a potential social and political threat to his regime. In fact, during the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission panel “Safeguarding the People of Nagorno-Karabakh” in late June this year, Sam Brownback (I think it was) has alluded to the possibility of admitting the Artsakh Armenians into the US.
Nikol’s Western and Turkish backed regime got it’s way because Russia is busy fighting the collective West in Ukraine. By officially recognizing Artsakh as part of Azerbaijan late last year, Nikol blackmailed Russia. In other words, knowing Russia could not and would not wage war against Azerbaijan and/or Turkey, especially at a time when Russia is waging war against the west, Nikol threw the entire responsibility of Artsakh’s security on Russia. With Armenia effectively out of the picture, all Russia could do when Azerbaijan attacked is step out of the way.
In any case, right now, merely 2000 Russian troops stand in the way or another genocide of Armenians. Yet, we keep tolerating Western and Turkish activists that incite Russophobia inside Armenian society. Armenians deserve all the black pages in Armenian history.
It’s too late to do anything now. Major geopolitical shifts have begun across the world. The process started many years ago. We may be one bad incident away from a world war. Knowing that a global crisis was approaching, what did we do as a people? Instead of making the neccessary land concessions and moving deeper into Russia’s protective umbrella, we did the opposite. We Armenians effectively maneuvered Armenia right out of political contention and straight into a dead end. Consequently, we are no longer in a position to control or to even influence events. Therefore, what will happen, will happen. Let things come to their logical conclusions. And whatever happens, remember that in the big picture it will be our collective fault. We collectively made Armenia and Artsakh vulnerable to Western and Turkish meddling. We collectively alienated Russia from Armenia. This is where the traditional Diaspora, to its eternal shame, play a significant role. The Diaspora has acted as a pack-animal for all sorts of Western and Turkish agendas inside Armenia during the past 30 years.
In any case, if any of you reading this has at any time spoken against Serj Sargsyan, Robert Kocharyan or Russia, you have contributed to what Armenia and Artsakh are going through today. You got what you wanted in 2018 – a Western financed “democratic” revolution. You then got what you deserved in 2020 – a historic defeat.
People deserve the governments they have. There are no free meals in politics. Political illiteracy has a high cost. Revolutions end up eating their children. You reap what you sow. Karma is a you know what…
Today is day 578 of the special operations being conducted by Russia which was supposed to be over in 3-5 days. Unfortunately Putin tried to eat more than he could chew and the result is there for everyone to see. Russia is not capable to defeat a numerically small country and that too on flat lands so much so that they had to employ wagner militias to help them in Bakmut. Russia my friend is a spent force, Pashinyan is partially right that Armenia shouldn’t have been too much dependent on a single country
The truth is written on The Wall. an Armenia in constant enmity with its neighbors is an Armenia that people migrate from not to. it’s an Armenia with less foreign investment. it’s an poorer Armenia that spends badly needed money for development on arms. it’s an Armenia left out of geo strategic regional projects and decitions. it’s an Armenia with nothing to offer the wider region. it’s an Armenia that after all the nationalistic ramblings and foaming at the mouth with futile inflated self importance, comes to the negotiation table worst off than it began. Time and time and time again, this same story has repeated itself in the case of Armenian history, only most are too blind to see it. Azerbaijan got back karabakh with the artsarkh surrender, Something that would have been averted if Armenia accepted compromise instead of wanting to be maximalist. Most Armenians won’t admit it openly but the blockade of turkey and Azerbaijan badly hurt the economy and put Armenia firmly as a Russian republic/puppet with Russian money running the place. for all purposes Armenia never gained full independence from Russia. Pride is good but not when it blinds you to reality and the reality now is Armenia needs to normalize relations with turkey and Azerbaijan. Armenians won’t eat pride, hence why Armenian migrants work in Istanbul, Antalya and Moscow today.
@Austin Onah. You contradict yourself and quite foolishly so. You talk about Armenia’s “enmity with its neighbors” and then, a few lines further on, you accept the fact of blockade of Armenia by Turkey and Azerbaijan. But, don’t you know that blockade, according to international law, is an act of war and demonstration of enmity? You’re unconvincing and totally unsound.
We are Armenians and we will fight! Well most of the fellow Armenians I know and myself will tell those in Armenia to fight! All the while we enjoy our lives here.
And yes a big screw you to all our geographic Armenian neighbors. Who needs wit, politics and compromises? We are Armenians and I’ll tell my fellow Armenians in Armenia to fight them all and of course we will win.
Let’s topple Pashinyan! Who cares that a violent revolution will set Armenia back 20 years in terms of infrastructure, development etc? It’s not like I’m living there.
We need an authoritarian like Putin or Erdoğan to suppress the western idea of personal rights and freedoms. We shouldn’t even be allowed to think! But I’ll enjoy the freedoms here where I live
Effendi Mir Ali,
We know why you and some others from your camp are here. Your efforts will not work. Armenia is married to Russia for better or for worst. No Russia in Armenia = no Armenia on the world map. Armenians are not ready for and in fact do not deserve independence. Sooner or later Armenia will have to join the Russian Federation because it’s better to be an Oblast than a Villayet. Until then, we need to get rid of the Western and Turkish backed regime in Armenia.
Don’t worry about Russia. Your fake news is getting old. Ukranians actually outnumber Russians on the battlefield. Russia is beating Ukraine plus the collective West. Russia is playing nice with Turkey and Azerbaijan to keep Turks out of the war in Ukraine. That’s why Russia is in no mood to wage war against Azerbaijan for a Western Turkish backed regime in Yerevan. In any case, Russia has already won the war in Ukraine. It has to now decide how much more of Ukraine it needs to liberate. Your turn to face the Bear will come eventually. Trust me.
All correct, except that Armenia most likely won’t be an oblast but a union state like Belarus, which is a much better case than a filthy Turkish vilayet.
A historic tragedy is palying out roght in front of our very eyes. Some of us were warning about this for the past 5 years. We were called Putin’s agents, traitors, etc. If any of you reading this are looking for someone to blame for what happened to Artsakh, look in the mirror and blame yourselves. As I keep saying, anyone that at any time spoke bad about Robert Kocharyan, Serj Sargsyan or Russia, you partook in making this tragedy possible. Any of you that supported Nikol and his Western financed Turkophiles at any time during the past 5 years, have blood of Armenians from Artsakh on your hands. The past 30 years have proven beyond any doubt that Armenians are not ready for independence. The past 5 years have shown beyond any doubt that Armenians don’t even deserve independence. If Armenia does not join Russia in some form in the near future, there will not be an Armenia on the world map.
@Concerned Armenian
The Russians will not allow Armenia fall under the turks. They need the land connection to Iran open in the South Caucasus. The turks, ashkenazis, and the US would love to cut the Russians off from Iran but I don’t think it will happen despite the Armenians unwitting efforts to try to help the west make it happen.
What is wrong with being friends with Turkey and the west rather then Russia? Erdogan isn’t president for life. His on his last term.
We can be friends, open up trade and boost each other’s economy. Turkey needs help too. Let’s help each other.
@Vartan. The Russians allied with the Turks reluctantly, because they need the road over Syunik to have access to the outer world as their entire western border in the European part is sealed off. Yes, Russians need the land connection to Iran open, but at this point in time, the Syunik road seems more strategically important. That is why they’re pressuring Iran to agree to the road placed under the exterritorial control of the Russians, Turks and their Turkic attachment in the Caspian. Shoigu’s visit to Tehran produced no agreement, but Lavrov can make the Iranians an offer they can’t refuse. The interests of Turkey and their attachment in the Caspian are of course not economic. These two hostile states successfully conduct (insignificant) trade via Georgia because Azerbaijan has never been capable of producing any other commodities than oil and gas. And, from an economic perspective, these hydrocarbon resources successfully reach Turkey via two pipelines. So, these Turkic countries’ interest is strictly strategic: to establish a pan-Turanic connection between the two countries with unimpeded flow of goods of strategic significance (chiefly, arms and armaments) and, as a consequence, to exercise full control and subjugation of Armenia. On the other hand, the US is interested in the Syunik road to place it under their control and secure American presence and influence on the border with Iran. In any case, if Armenia is cut off from Iran one way or the other, this will end with a much larger tragedy for Armenia than the loss of Artsakh. Armenians in Armenia and the Diaspora must defend Syunik at all costs.
@lahmʿajīn is Arabic
What is wrong with the Turks doing their part befriending the Armenians? For instance, offer an apology for a genocidal extermination of Armenians in 1915, offer retribution of Armenian ancestral lands and properties they seized, establish diplomatic relations with Armenia as friends must do, mustn’t they?, open the border with Armenia as friends must do, mustn’t they?, stop arming and providing military aid and advice to Azerbaijan during its aggressions against the Armenians. You, Turks, want to convince us, Armenians, who suffered tremendously in your hands, that you want to “help” us? Take the steps laid out above and we will consider.
Comrade Arabo, all that is besides the point. Notice the wording of Turk’s proposition? Why not friend Turks and Westerners “rather” than Russians. This is an obvious effort to lure Armenians completely out of Russia’s orbit because they want to have their way with us when we are totally alone. Don’t automatically assume people who post politically motivated comments on these boards (usually along the lines of Russia bad, Westerns good, Turks are potential friends, Russians are covert enemies, etc) are curious Turks or Westerners, or even “patriotic” Armenians who happened to stumble across this website. Many of these individuals are cyber-activists trying to mold minds, ultimatly because they know Armenian minds are easy to mold…
@Arabo. surely one does not expect cookies from one’s enemies hence why Armenia is supposed to normalize relations with its neighbors. you say I contradict myself which is very funny coming from you. everything I said in relation to emigration, economy, war and geopolitics is true when it comes to Armenia. if Armenia of 2.9 million people makes to attempt for peace and compromise in that region, Armenia should start getting ready to house only 1.5 million in the coming years. who wants to live in an area of the world that smells like it’s about to explode 24/7, when they could be living in France or the USA.
Austin Onah, on September 23, 2023, you wrote, and we all have read: “Armenia is in constant enmity with its neighbors” and then, a few lines further on, you admitted that “the blockade by Turkey and Azerbaijan badly hurt [Armenia’s] economy”. I reminded you, in case you were an underachiever at school, that blockade is a demonstration of enmity, an act of war. Now you try to prevaricate. That’s a trick, and a cheap trick at that.
I’m a Turk living in Australia. I am not moulding any minds. I was giving my 2 cents. It’s ultimately up to the Armenian people living in Armenia to decide the fate of the country and not us living aboard in mostly western countries.
Russia is not the Soviet Union. I just wanted to remind you of that fact again. Nor is Turkey the Ottomans or Seljuks.
@lahmʿajīn is Arabic. In Armenia’s case, it’s up to the Armenian people living in Armenia with the help of us, Diasporan Armenians, living abroad, to decide the future of our country. So, stay out and watch kangaroos jumping around, if you’re really in Australia.
Hello, upset Lahmajoon lover Turk, where a country carries the blood color of the same Ottoman flag, Armenians and the world consider them, an aggressor and genocidal nation. Western Armenia was part of Armenia, like Artsakh, but Turkic herds had more appetite for the leftover Armenian Highlands.
By the way, Rajab Oghlu Ardoghan has the same mentality as Ottoman leaders like Anvar Pasha. He gave up the Balkans and looked toward East wards such as Syria, Lybia, Iran’s Azerbaijan, Nagorno Karabakh, and many more. He is a partner with criminal Vladimir Putin.
Brothers and sisters!
What’s with all the complaints and sadness? We won! We finally got what we wanted in 2018? Come on dear people dont, tell me you didn’t know who you were supporting back in 2018. We all knew who Nikol was back then. Remember his essays about Gharabagh and Russia going back to the early 2000s? Remember his role in trying to bring democracy to Armenia in 2008, hand in hand with our great statesman Levon Ter Petrosyan? We knew who our democratic prime minister Nikol was. We knew what our dear leader Nikol wanted. We voted for him not once but twice. Remember? So why are you all complaining now? The honest man did what he said he will do. We empowered him to do what he said he will do. We democratically elected our great and glorious leader Nikol Pashinyan not once but TWICE for two purposes – free Armenia from the 30 year old problem called Gharabagh and free Armenia from those oppressive and utterly undemocratic Russians.
Forget that little troubled region called Gharabagh, it was just a headache. Gharabagh stopped Armenians from being happy with their wonderful neighbors. Wake up people. The real problem Armenia has is Russia. The problem has always been Rusaia. We all know now that it was Russians that told Turks to genocide Armenians. We need to make friends with all our neighbors and unite with the civilized world (i.e. freedom and democracy loving West) and defeat aggressor Russia. Anyone watching BBC and CNN to see what’s going on in the world? Russia wants to takeover the whole world and stop all people from being westernized and happy. Putler (i.e. Putin+Hitler=Putler) must be stopped – now! Armenia must be liberated from Russia – now! This is the most important thing in the universe for Armenians – now!
Our freedom loving and democratically elected leader Nikol Pashinyan started the process to free Armenia from Russian rule in 2018 with all our help, but the poor man is not done yet. So please stop the silly complaining and protests and just let our duly elected, freedom loving and enlightened Pashinyan finish his sacred work of freeing Armenia from its Gharabagh problem. Let’s unite and start valiantly fighting the Russian Bear, side by side with our freedom and democracy loving brothers and sisters in Slava Ukraine!
This is simply not the time to complain and protest. Freedom and democracy won in Armenia in 2018. Remember? So we are winners not losers! We got what we wanted in 2018. We got what we wanted in 2020. We got what we wanted in 2021. Now, just relax and let our wonderful prime minister finish his work.
There will be plenty of time afterwards to protest Armenia’s and Gharabagh’s disappearance from the world map, beg Western officials to save us, and feed and shelter Armenian refugees scattered worldwide.
” ….but the poor man is not done yet”. You can say that again. He’s working on turning Yerevan into City-State, and the suroundings will be gobbled up by Turks. Twenty nine thousand square kilometer Armenia will become 29 square kilometer. BTW, who is WE?
Kangaroos are literally everywhere 10kms from the business district. There are many Armenians in Australia too but not enough to influence politics like in France or USA. The main reason most Turks visit these sites is because we are mentioned 24/7. Thought that would be obvious. No one here including the pro Russians are trying to mould anyones mind. It all looks like personal opinions to me. Also yes, I have seen ‘The Promise’.
@arabo, Armenia is in constant enmity with its neighbors hence why you have the blockade, those two statements don’t contradict each other, except for you maybe. if I’m in constant enmity with my neighbor do I expect trade and a pat on the back from him? you must be delusional if you think so. only with Armenia normalizing it’s relationship with its neighbors can it expects such overtures of friendship and corporation like trade and open borders. Israel’s borders with Syria and Lebanon are closed not because they are friend’s. if Armenia asserts territorial claim’s against Georgia tomorrow I’m sure you will be the only one surprised Georgia had the guts to close the border.
@Austin Onah. Armenia (the Republic of) has not been in “constant enmity” with Turkey when in 1991 it proclaimed independence from the Soviet Union and offered establishment of diplomatic relations to Ankara. But Turkey refused and, as if that wasn’t enough, kept its border with Armenia closed, until now. Please stop spewing rubbish re: things of which you don’t have the slightest idea. And please stop repeating like a parrot from comment to comment that it is with all of its neighbors that Armenia is “in enmity”. In fact, Armenia has very good neighborly relations with Iran and Georgia. Take your “constant enmity” crap to a Turkish online publication but, before doing that, be so kind and wise as to count how many countries adjoining Turkey have good neighborly relations with Ankara, okay?
@arabo. Armenia occupied 20% of the internationally recognized borders of Azerbaijan and you expect turkey a close Allie’s of AZERBAIJAN to pat you on the back and open it’s borders for free trade?! a delusional proposition if I’ve ever seen one. An Armenia without friendly relationship with its neighbors is an Armenia that should be ready to export more people to Istanbul, Glendale, Paris and Moscow in the coming years. God help Armenia if it truly has people thinking like you in charge.
@austin onah. I repeat for especially slow-witted posters like you. In 1991, when Armenia declared independence from the Soviet Union, there was no such a thing as “occupation of 20% of the internationally recognized borders of Azerbaijan”. Only in 1994, as a result of Artsakh’s war for self-determination (btw, another internationally recognized principle for you to know), those territories came under local Armenian forces’ control. So, again, in 1991, that is three years earlier, when Armenia proposed establishment of good-neighborly diplomatic relations to Ankara, Turkey refused, never opened the border thus imposing a blockade, that is, an incitement of enmity internationally recognized as an act of war, on Armenia. Again, STOP spewing utter rubbish. And if you’re so concerned about Armenia “exporting” people to Istanbul, Glendale, Paris and Moscow, ask yourself, and please use all of your brain cells to answer as a result of what heinous Turkish crime Armenians had scattered all over the world?
Here’s a list of countries, Turkey has been in constant enmity with and still is:
Armenia, Artsakh ,Cyprus, Greece, Syria, the Balkans, Serbia, Russian Federation ( off and on), Iraq, Kurdistan, Iran.
The headline of this topic should read, ” Artsakh Fails to Azerbaijan, COMPLIMENTS of Armenia’s number ONE ENEMY, PaSHInTyan”. Azeris had zero chance messing with the Armenians, they know it so do the Turks. Battle of Sardarabad, 197,000 Turk soldiers got their buttocks handed to them on a silver platter by 40,000 RESELIENT Armenians back in 1918? So,fricking disappointing to see Armenia’s opposition couldn’t get rid of this Nikol ‘cancer’ . Very disappointing ESPECIALLY in, Ishkhan Saghatelyan. You are a loser. AMOT
Wrong people like you either are KGB agents or have Russian connections and work for Putin’s agency in the US branch. Russia’s KGB has tried to drag Armenia into war and “discipline” Nikole with another loss like in 2020
Nikole made one mistake, he trusted Putin for paid military hardware delivery, which the Armenian army never received. Armenian army fought with leftovers of ’80s and ’90s war machines no comparison with Bayraktars and Israeli drones and missiles, where innocent Armenian young soldiers were slaughtered by Bayraktars and Putin’s fresh updated weaponry to Azerbaijani dictator Aliyev.
Putin’s programmer Peskov failed this time, Artsakh Armenians knew that Russian peacekeepers were acting as standby to let Azeri Turks slaughter them like in the 1915 Armenian Genocide times, Nikole and Armenian intellectuals saved their lives and Armenian Statehood.
https://ca.yahoo.com/news/survivors-reveal-war-crimes-putin-014145670.html
GB,
Your politically motivated spin and your desperate effort to blame Russia for all of Armenian failures, no longer works. It was your Western-financed and pro-Turkish regime in Yerevan that officially abandoned Artsakh last year. Stuck in a major war in Ukriane, Russia had no choice but to give into Turkish demands. Russians cannot be expected to be more pro-Armenian than Armenians themselves. If you are looking for someone to blame, look in the mirror. I am glad people are gradually waking up to see the damage individuals like you have done to post-Soviet Armenia.
At GB,
Spare me with your fairy tale. Thanks to victorious Russians, that we have Armenia today. During the Russo-Persia war (1826-1828), it was the victorious Russians who forced the Persians to cede Armenia, Georgia, and Aderbadagan ( 31st province of Persia) today they call Azikbaijan.
And you are off the subject, Putin lover, I have never insulted Russian people but Putin himself. KGB Putin, who made Russians the enemy of the world harmed Armenia just like his predecessor Lenine, who gave away most of the Western Armenian empty lands after the Armenian Genocide. Lenine gifted Ataturk, gold and weapons to bring Turks under his colony. Ataturk took the land’s gold and weapons, joined with British and American protection, and said goodbye to Lenine.
Lenine created land for today’s fake Azerbaijan in 1918 and attached Artskah and Nkhichecan for them, as independent oblast, most Azerbaijani people are from Daghestani Tatar-Turks and never had history, but Central Asian Vicous killers, like today’s Ilham Aliyev type dictators. They forcefully mixed with Talysh and other Iranian minorities. This has been done to capture Iran’s Azerbaijan, where people living there are made of more Iranian people than artificially created North Azerbaijan. Most Persian people are fully aware of that.
Going back to your answer yes, I agree that Imperial Russian rulers were more Christian-oriented and well-educated about Armenian history and they did their best for the Armenian Nation of the world where Turks had tried to eliminate us since the 10th-century invasion of Armenian Highland and the fall of Ani, Armenians spread all over the world even in India, and Singapore.
https://keghart.org/daghdigian-tchagharyan-griboyedov/
Armenia paid the price of union with Russia in the 2nd World War, during the “patriotic war” against Nazi Germany, where numerous Armenians were in top ranking officers generals, Marshals, and unselfish Armenian warrior soldiers for “Motherland” Russia on top of that Mig designer Artem Mikoyan.
https://www.mfa.am/en/interviews-articles-and-comments/2020/04/29/every-fifth-
Armenian-left-for-the-frontline-%E2%80%9Cin-the-victory-over-fascism-the-Armenians-
from-private/10235
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artem_Mikoyan
Most Armenians in Armenia are “pro nobody” but pro-Armenian.
Let’s go back to the 2020 war, where Armenia SU 30 SM fighters were ready to fly, they were stopped by an Air Force commander, and fighter jets never received missiles from Putin at a crucial time when Shushi was surrounded by Turkish and Azerbaijani forces. There was a big pause in the frontier of Shushi and the war was stopped for momentum.
Putin was on the phone with dictator Aliyev and Nikole when all of a sudden “land is sold” spread by those fake Russian soldiers, who were dressed up in Armenian uniform. There was a hope that the Armenian army to bounce back, and Putin knew the drama of 1994. He did not want to upset his allies afterall he was planning to invade Ukraine.
By the way, most Russian lovers, like propagandist Margarita Simonian called ordinary Armenians pro-Western or pro-this and…… I wonder when you will stop calling ordinary Armenians pro-Western or pro-Iranian or Pro-something. There are some weaknesses when we rely on somebody, whom they don’t care about us, but it is obvious that Putin wanted to destroy the entire Armenia with Turkic herds, fortunately, this did not happen.
I am expecting some stupid thugs who are pro-Putin may terrorize people inside Armenia by Wagner terrorist group, against “pro-Western Armenians”. By the way, I am pro-Armenia pro-NOBODY, and I am pro-truth
https://eurasianet.org/ahead-of-ukraine-invasion-azerbaijan-and-russia-cement-alliance
https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/blogs/new-atlanticist/russia-azerbaijan-ties-worry-united-states/
Eurasianet is CIA disinformation. You are showing your true colors, GB. Your political spin and attempts at disinformation suggests you are for Armenia’s destruction. Your Western and Turkish backed prime minister agandoned Shushi in 2020 and all of Artsakh in 2022. If I was a Russian and I saw Armenians acting like you, I would do my best to befriend Turks and Azeris. If you are looking for people to blame for what happened to Artsakh, look in the mirror.
@GB well done for speaking out and it’s fortunate this publication allows the posting of links such as pact between Russia and Azerbaijan which the pro Russians fail to mention or are simply ignorant of, which was signed two days before Russia invaded Ukraine the chances that Azeri intelligence services hence alyiev himself were unaware of as imminent is functionally nil. Indeed @ Concerned even gave the game away when he said Russia needed a resolution to the Arktash issue as Russia was poised to confront the west (invade Ukraine) and needed a settlement with Azerbaijan and Turkey in other words he was tacitly acknowledging that Russia intent on invading Ukraine knew it would need cordiality with Turkey and Azerbaijan if the west was to block Russian flights etc in response, thus Armenian control of parts of internationally recognised Azerbaijan and Russia perceived support for it was a significant obstacle to the relationship between Russia and Azerbaijan and in turn Turkey. Thus Russia by late 2020 seriously considering invading Ukraine sold out Armenia to keep favour with Turkey and Azerbaijan to limit the isolation it was to face as a result. Just like 100 years before when Russia and Turkey are friendly Armenia gets traded away as part of the bargain. The difference now is that Armenia has it’s own independence not administered by Moscow and courtesy of the internet is better informed of the goings on and the west is committed to trying to support Armenia but first Armenia had to make the move of distancing from Russia.
For the first time in its long and turbulent history, Artsakh has been depopulated of its aboriginal population. What Persians, Romans, Byzantines, Mongols, Arabs, Tatars, Russians, Soviets and Azeris would not or could not do, a group of Western-financed mercenaries did in five short years.
Nikol is single-handedly responsible for Artsakh’s fall. It was Nikol himself that refused military assistance to Artsakh. It was Nikol himself that officially recognized all of Artsakh as part of Azerbaijan. This was done by him late last year, at a time when Russia had suffered a major setback in Ukraine, and was therefore unable to resist Armenian-Western-Turkish-Azeri machinations vis-a-vis Artsakh. Nikol is indeed working for Western and Turkish interests, those who brought him to power in 2018. As I keep saying, just follow the money trail. Nikol blackmailed Moscow at a time when Russia was embroiled in a major war against the collective West in Ukraine, and could not therefore effectively react.
All indicators suggest, Moscow did not want this. Had Moscow wanted Artsakh’s total capitulation, it would have allowed it in 2020. Moscow would also not have sent 2000 troops to the territory to stop an almost certain massacre of Armenian civilians. Time and again, Moscow stated that Artsakh’s official status should be put-off. In other words, Artsakh should have remained antonymous. We all know that President Putin was ready to sponsor a ceasefire deal on October 19, 2020, a time when Shushi was still in Armenian hands. We all know that Nikol refused to stop the fighting. Not only did Nikol refuse to stop the fighting, he did not do much to militarily help Artsakh either. Nikol actions and inactions therefore condemned Artsakh to a defeat. With Azeri troops on the outskirts of Stepanakert, Nikol was finally forced by Moscow sign the ceasefire deal. Moscow imposed itself militarily to stop a total disaster. Russia even lost a helicopter and its crew in the process. Long story, short: Moscow did not want this, Moscow was outmaneuvered by Westerners, Turks AND Armenians.
Typically, those who put an end to Artsakh’s life are the ones now that are hurling blame on Russia. It’s being done to mislead and disorient the Armenian sheeple.
One more time: no one else but Nikol abandoned Artsakh – as the Armenian world watched. If any of you reading this are looking for someone to blame for what happened to Artsakh, blame your twice elected Nikol, then look into a mirror and blame yourselves. As I keep saying, anyone that at any time spoke against about Robert Kocharyan, Serj Sargsyan, Vladimir Putin or Russia in general, you partook in bringing Nikol to power and therefore making this tragedy possible. Those of you who supported Nikol and his Western-financed Turkophiles at any time during the past 5 years, you have the blood of Artsakh-Armenians on your hands.
The past 30 years have proven beyond any doubt that Armenians are not ready for independence. The past 5 years have shown beyond any doubt that Armenians don’t even deserve independence. If Armenia does not join Russia in some form in the near future, there will not be an Armenia on the world map.
Judging from what I have been seeing here and in various other social media platforms in recent times, there is a serious effort being made by internet activists to convince us Armenians that Armenia needs to fully come out of Russia’s orbit, embrace Western powers and make friends with Turkey. This effort is designed to isolate Armenia further by deepening the rift between Moscow and Yerevan. Artsakh’s fall was not enough for them. Their main goal now is to have their way with Armenia when the country is totally alone. Therefore, don’t automatically assume that individuals that post politically motivated comments on these boards (usually along the lines of Russia bad, Westerns good, Turks are potential friends, Russians are covert enemies, etc.) are curious Turks or Westerners, or even “patriotic” Armenians who just happened to stumble across this website. I have no doubt that many of these individuals are paid cyber-activists trying to mold minds, ultimately because they know Armenian minds are easy to mold…
Gurgen, I wish Armenia and its people all the best. Nothing more.
You mean to say, all the best Turkish rule over Armenia can offer. Right, effendi?
You may or may not be a professional internet activist. That said, what you want to see Armenians do – rejecting Russians and embracing Turks and Westerners – is the country’s demise. So, whether you know it or mot, you are on the side of those who are trying to harm Armenia.
Once Armenia is out of Putin’s orbit, people will be happier, and the country will be safer, with minimal corruption, more productive, and wealthier. The world will be free of evil dictators such as Putin, dictator Aliyev, Sultan Erdoghan, and junior propagandists like Peskov, Zakharova, Margarita, and millions more after…… and of course, the famous Artsakh 44 days war planner Mr. Lavrove, whose half-Armenian blood is poisoned by Putin. Right now, the Armenian Parliament is debating the Rome Statute, and the passing will mark a victory for Armenia and a nightmare for Rajab Oghlu Ardoghan and Putin.
https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/armenia-ratifies-statute-accept-international-criminal-court-jurisdiction-2023-10-03/
Your dream to erase Armenia from the map by alienating the country from Russia and Iran will fail. Nikol will not be able to cross that red line. Nikol and his team of Western financed Turkophiles will sooner die than force Russians out of Armenia. Russia will remain in Armenia. When Moscow’s attention finally returns to the south Caucasus, Turkic nomads and Western degenerates will scatter.