Breaking
Armenian Soldier Wounded by Azerbaijani Armed Forces at Armenian Border
Bill Revokes Presidential Waiver of Section 907 for Two Years
The bill, the “Armenian Protection Act”, removes the authority of the President to waive Section 907 of the Freedom Support Act and provide U.S. military assistance to the government of Azerbaijan. A compromise was reached to revoke the Presidential waiver authority for at least two years, Fiscal Years 2024 and 2025.
“We thank Senator Peters (D-MI) for his persistent leadership to uphold U.S. interests and hold Azerbaijan accountable for its unacceptable aggression against Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh,” said Global ARM President Timothy Jemal. “Section 907 was never intended to provide Presidential waiver authority while the conditions on restricting U.S. assistance are not being met by Azerbaijan. We strongly encourage the House to follow suit and pass this bipartisan legislation forthwith.”
Azerbaijan remains in full violation of Section 907. The law states that U.S. assistance “may not be provided to the Government of Azerbaijan until the President determines, and so reports to the Congress, that the Government of Azerbaijan is taking demonstrable steps to cease all blockades and other offensive uses of force against Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh.”
Cosponsors of S. 3000 are: Senator Rubio (R-FL), Senator Shaheen (D-NH), Senator Cassidy (R-LA), Senator Van Hollen (D-MD), Senator Ricketts (R-NE), Senator Kennedy (R-LA), Senator Casey (D-PA) and Senator Whitehouse (D-RI).
Video of the Senate passage of S.3000 is available here.
ICJ Rules Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh Have Right of Return to Homeland
Ruling Against Azerbaijan Comes after Over 100,000 Armenians Forcibly Deported from Nagorno-Karabakh
On November 17, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) published a
preliminary order calling on Azerbaijan to ensure the safety of people who want to return to Nagorno-Karabakh following the Azerbaijani military’s military offensive in September that resulted in Baku regaining control of historic Armenian territory.
According to the ICJ ruling:
Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh forcibly displaced by Azerbaijani military aggression have a right to return to their homes in a “safe, unimpeded and expeditious manner”. The few Armenians who have remained in Nagorno-Karabakh and wish to depart must be allowed to do so safely and expeditiously. Azerbaijan must ensure that Armenians who remained or returned to Nagorno-Karabakh after Azerbaijan’s September 19 military attacks are free from the use of force or intimidation that may cause them to flee.
Azerbaijan must comply with its obligations under the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (CERD). In this regard. Azerbaijan is ordered to protect and preserve registration, identity and private property documents and records of Nagorno-Karabakh Armenians.
Azerbaijan must submit a report to the ICJ within 8 weeks to explain what it has done to comply with this ruling.
Despite Warning From Moscow, Armenia to Formally Join ICC In February
U.S. Congress
James O’Brien: We’ve Made Clear that Nothing will be Normal with Azerbaijan after the Events of September 19 Until We See Progress on the Peace Track
U.S. Assistant Secretary of State James O’Brien said during a November 15 House Foreign Affairs Europe Subcommittee hearing that Washington canceled a number of high-level visits to Azerbaijan in response to that action and that “we don’t anticipate submitting a waiver on Section 907 until such time that we see a real improvement.” O’Brien also said that the Administration has repeatedly told Azerbaijan that any “use of force inside Armenia is completely unacceptable.” Azerbaijan has repeatedly defied calls from the U.S. not to use violence against Armenians, most recently on Sept. 19 when it ethnically cleansed Nagorno-Karabakh.
Read O’Brien’s Full Written Testimony
Click Here to Watch Full Committee Hearing
Rep. Frank Pallone: There Must Be Real Consequences For Aliyev’s Aggression Toward Armenia
“I applaud the Senate for passing the Armenian Protection Act,” Pallone said on X. “Now, the House must follow and pass my bipartisan bill, H.R. 5683, which will repeal Section 907 and ban U.S. assistance to Azerbaijan.”
Sam Brownback Urges Swift Action: Pass the Armenia Protection Act to Condemn Azerbaijan’s Aggression and Stand with Democratic Armenia
World Leaders, NGOs Condemn Azerbaijan’s Ethnic Cleansing in Nagorno-Karabakh
Lemkin Institute for Genocide Prevention Condemns 15-year Prison Sentence to an Ethnic Armenian from Nagorno-Karabakh in Baku
- Recalls the ongoing and unlawful imprisonment of eight high-ranking Armenian officials and abandonment of dozens Armenian civilian captives and POWs, who might soon share the same fate as Mr. Khachatryan.
- Exhorts the international community, which seems to have forgotten the commission of atrocity crimes in Nagorno-Karabakh, as well as the looming threat of an invasion of the Republic of Armenia by Azerbaijan, to persuade the Aliyev regime to promptly release all Armenian persons under its jurisdiction.
Read the Full Statement
The European Commission’s Lead Spokesperson for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy: EU Demanding very Clearly that People of Nagorno-Karabakh Need to have Guarantees for Safe Return
Ron DeSantis and Nikki Haley Join U.S. Presidential Candidate Vivek Ramaswamy in Condemning Azerbaijan’s Ethnic Cleansing in Nagorno-Karabakh
Republican presidential candidates Ron DeSantis and Nikki Haley, along with Vivek Ramaswamy, united in forceful condemnation of Azerbaijan’s ethnic cleansing of 120,000 indigenous Christian Armenians at The FAMiLY Leader Thanksgiving candidate forum in Iowa.
“The dirty little secret at the heart of that, we’re paying for it,” said Vivek Ramaswamy, sharply criticizing the US military aid that facilitated Azerbaijan’s genocide of Christian Armenians. “Two months ago, this September, where is Armenia? Where are both of our political parties? 120,000 Armenian Christians, the oldest Christian nation in the world, displaced…and we’re paying for it,” added Ramaswamy.
Borell: The EU Condemned Azerbaijan’s Military Operation in September, which Resulted in the Mass Exodus of More than 100,500 Karabakh Armenians
Calls on Azerbaijan to ensure the rights and security of Karabakh Armenians, including the right of return of displaced persons, as well as to allow permanent independent monitoring of the situation on the ground, in addition to visits by UN missions.
Migrants Rights Network Condemns Ongoing Genocide and Ethnic Cleansing of Armenians by Azerbaijan
Statement says “Armenians have been ethnically cleansed and displaced as part of a genocide by Azerbaijan, with the backing of Turkey. Over 100,000 people have been forced to leave the area after facing months of blockades.”
PACE Monitors: Armenia Needs More Support from CoE Member States as it Faces “Enormous Challenges” of Dealing with Refugees from Nagorno-Karabakh who Fled Azerbaijan’s Military Attack
Basque Parliament Condemns Ethnic Cleansing in Nagorno-Karabakh
The Committee on European Affairs and External Action of the Basque Parliament has held hearings regarding the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh.
“Regardless of our origin, it’s important that we unite in his common
work. Ethnic cleansings are a direct encroachment against human dignity and the main human right, the right to life. The rights of the population of Nagorno-Karabakh require international protection, while the status of Nagorno-Karabakh cannot be determined by the war started by Azerbaijan,” said AGBU member, lawyer Levon Grigorian.
France Acknowledges ICJ Order on Nagorno-Karabakh, Calls for Safe Return and Protection from Intimidation
Poland Supports Armenia Territorial Integrity, Sovereignty
Ambassador of Poland to Armenia says that Poland was one of the first countries to provide financial and material support to Armenia to help meet the needs of the forcibly displaced persons from Nagorno-Karabakh after the tragic events in September, when Azerbaijan launched a military attack in Nagorno-Karabakh, causing the exodus of over 100,000 ethnic Armenians.
Driven by Fear from Nagorno-Karabakh
ICRC: We Received Around 2,500 Visits and Calls from Families of Nagorno-Karabakh Refugees in Search of Missing Relatives
“We Left Everything” Uprooted and Jobless, Nagorno- Karabakh Refugees Start from Scratch in Armenia
Andranik Aloyan, 44, fled Nagorno-Karabakh along with his pregnant wife, two small children, and 71-year-old father. Their journey from Nagorno-Karabakh to Armenia took an exhausting three days; at night, the family slept in their car.
“We didn’t have bread after September 19. My children had nothing to eat for days. My wife was pregnant, and, in that condition, we left everything and fled to Armenia,” Aloyan said.
This marked the family’s second flight from Nagorno-Karabakh: they previously fled the region during the 2020 war. In the months before the exodus, the family experienced constant fear and anxiety due to the blockade, Aloyan recalled. His wife, Hasmik Antonyan, lacked access to vitamins and basic healthcare throughout her pregnancy, causing a delay in her childbirth. She was then hospitalized on September 19, during the Azerbaijani attack.
“I will stand tall for my children”: Dozens of Pregnant Refugees Give Birth Amid Turmoil after Fleeing to Armenia
More than 100,000 people have crossed into Armenia since Azerbaijan launched military attacks on September 19. Among the refugees, more than 2,000 are estimated to be pregnant and hundreds are expected to give birth in the coming months.
Ms. Asryan became pregnant several months after a blockade went up against Karabakh in December 2022, restricting access to essentials like food, fuel and medicine. In its aftermath, UN experts warned pregnant women faced “significant risk”, and in August 2023 a majority of local residents reported rationing meals. Ms. Asryan had feared for her pregnancy even before she was forced to flee her home in Karabakh. But her anxiety escalated at the border crossing into Armenia, where the stress of displacement triggered labour pangs. She only hoped she would not have to give birth on the road.
Azerbaijan Takeover of Nagorno-Karabakh: Victory of ‘Authoritarian Power Over Struggling Democracy’
“A new environment of uncertainty and insecurity has been created by Azerbaijan. The Armenians from Nagorno-Karabakh have lost their ancestral homeland, and they are in a state of limbo. They fled their homes with little more than they could carry in their vehicles. The military demonstration of might, backed by Turkey and Israel, is also indicating that Azerbaijan remains the only threat to regional security and stability,” said Richard Giragosian, the founding director of the Regional Studies Center.
Photos of the week
The largest refugee shelter in the city of Ararat, Armenia, housing Nagorno-Karabakh children at the local sports hall.
Photo Courtesy of Ani Gevorgyan
Praying in Armenia. Many ethnic Armenians who fled the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh territory are struggling to start anew in Armenia.
Photo Courtesy of Sergey Ponomarev
A young Armenian boy tries to comfort his new classmate, a young refugee from Nagorno- Karabakh, Aralez village, Armenia.
Photo Courtesy of Scout Tufankjian
Security
Armenian PM Warns of Threat of Military Aggression from Azerbaijan
During a Nov. 18 speech at the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly in Yerevan, Pashinyan said Azerbaijan may be preparing for military aggression against Armenia as the term “Western Azerbaijan,” has become increasingly popular in public discourse in Azerbaijan.
EU Foreign Ministers Approve Expansion Of Border Monitoring Mission In Armenia
Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem Warns of “Greatest Existential Threat” in Its History
The Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem has issued a grave warning, citing the gravest existential threat in its 16-century history. The alarm stems from a controversial real estate deal, which the Patriarchate has terminated, yet the developer has pressed forward with demolition activities. The Armenian Patriarchate voiced concerns over a developer seeking to purchase around 25% of the Armenian Quarter of Jerusalem. Despite the Patriarchate’s cancellation of the deal, the developer has proceeded with demolition works, turning a blind eye to the legal stance taken by the Patriarchate.
The situation has sparked alarm and calls for immediate intervention from international observers, religious leaders, and advocates for peace in the region. Concerns are mounting over the potential implications for the rich historical and cultural heritage preserved within the Armenian Quarter and the broader ramifications for religious coexistence in Jerusalem.
The Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem Urgent Communique
The Patriarchs and Heads of the Churches in Jerusalem Statement
Armenia Again Distances Itself from Russia: Armenian PM Won’t Attend CSTO Summit In Minsk
Yerevan Asks CSTO to Remove from Agenda the Document on Providing Aid to Armenia
Armenia’s Representative at UN: The long overdue visit to Nagorno-Karabakh conducted by the UN mission led by the Resident Coordinator in Azerbaijan with the involvement of the OCHA was subsequently manipulated by the Azerbaijani authorities to whitewash the ethnic cleansing of the Armenian population of Nagorno-Karabakh
Opinion
The Coming War in the Caucasus
By James W. Carden
Azerbaijan and Turkey set their sights on Armenia
Things are already underway. Riding a wave of oil revenue, Azerbaijan, which has boosted defense spending to $3.1 billion, is steadily and not-so-stealthily advancing across Armenia’s eastern border.
In any case, it seems likely they’ll get away with it when the time comes. Why? As Luis Moreno- Ocampo, the first chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, recently explained: “Azerbaijan is an ally with the West against Iran; it provides energy to Europe and it spends millions on sophisticated Israeli weapons. But such exigencies must not get in the way of the world’s responsibility to stop what is happening before its very eyes: the Armenian genocide of 2023.”
How the War in Ukraine is Changing the Caucasus
By Arkady Ostrovsky
Compared with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine or the horrors of Hamas’s attack on Israel and the ensuing conflict, the one-day war waged in September 2023 by Azerbaijan against its ethnic- Armenian enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh may seem like a blip. But this short war is part of a huge shift that has changed the balance of power in the former Soviet Union and in the world, and that will continue well into 2024.
A Dictator’s Parade Celebrating Ethnic Cleansing
By Tatevik Hayrapetyan
Azerbaijan, in line with its policy, is already preparing the groundwork for a potential act of aggression. Recently, Azerbaijani state TV aired a program that clearly contains a threat of aggression: “We liberated Karabakh in the 44-day war, we cleared it from Armenian terrorism in about 24 hours. Consider the time difference, Pashinyan… one or two hours of Azerbaijan is enough to liberate eight villages. Think well…” Azerbaijan is not concealing its aggressive intentions, and rather than relying solely on Aliyev’s promises to the international community, the only way to prevent this scenario from materializing is to take prompt action.
East Jerusalem: Israeli Settlers Seek to Take Over Armenian Quarter by Force
By Elis Gjevori
Armed settlers, backed by Israeli security forces, attempt to occupy
almost 25 percent of Armenian Quarter in ‘existential threat’ to centuries-old community. “These Israeli settlers are backed by the Israeli government, and ministers in the Israeli government are pressuring the community and putting the community in a great existential threat,” said Hagop Djernazian, a co-founder of the movement to save the Armenian quarter, and member of the Jerusalemite Armenian Community.
The Humanitarian Crisis in Nagorno-Karabakh: a Genocide in the Making
By Andrés Rodríguez Pérez
While the territorial recapture by the state of Azerbaijan in the 2020 War may be argued in terms of its sovereign claim to the region, there is no denying that the erosion of buffer zones around Artsakh and the deliberate blockade of the region with no regards as to the wellbeing of the civilian population constitute an illegitimate means of attaining definitive control over the disputed region. This, at the very least, amounts to ethnic cleansing and at worst, genocide. As evidenced by the recent blockade of the Gaza Strip, such actions constitute a strategy of systematic violence, of indiscriminate lethality and unbridled proportions, seeking the destruction of human lives and habitability through non-aggressive yet brutal means.
‘They Hate Us So Much’: World’s Oldest Christian Nation Faces Ethnic Cleansing As Emboldened Azerbaijan Wages A Silent War
By Zach Jewell
The U.S. has taken a clear stance in the conflict, condemning Azerbaijan for its recent actions in Nagorno-Karabakh.
The Muslim country’s bombardment of Nagorno-Karabakh in September was preceded by a military blockade that began last December, which cut off access to food, electricity, and water from the outside. Yana Avanesyan, a doctoral researcher who is originally from Nagorno- Karabakh, told The Daily Wire last month that the religious difference between the two countries plays a major role in the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict.
“When we say Armenians, we are speaking about us being Christians,” Avanesyan told The Daily Wire. “We know they hate us so much that they will just destroy everything.”
