Tag: Artsakh

Allegations against European institutions of being Islamophobic, a serious assertion by Azerbaijan, is part of a much larger anti-West campaign which is often insufficiently understood and analyzed by Western partners, writes Tatev Hayrapetyan.

Freedom House's Nations in Transit 2024 report downgraded Armenia's democracy score. It also highlighted the spread of autocracy in the region, emphasizing that Western democracies have been inconsistent and hesitant in defending international norms, enabling autocracies to evade accountability.

Armenian journalists reporting on breaking news in Armenia and Artsakh for global media outlets frequently face scrutiny regarding their objectivity because of their ethnicity, suggesting an underlying bias that undermines their professionalism and reflects a covertly racist perspective.

Is Armenia a nation-state? While the answer may seem obvious at first glance, upon closer examination, the question's significance becomes apparent, writes Tigran Yegavian.

In EVN Report’s news roundup for the week of April 5: A much anticipated trilateral meeting kicked off in Brussels between the EU, the U.S. and Armenia; in response, Azerbaijan ramped up its rhetoric accusing the West of exclusionary and inflammatory steps; a former Artsakh official is arrested on espionage charges while being escorted to Armenia from Artsakh by the ICRC and more.

In EVN Report’s news roundup for the week of March 29: A group of armed men storm a police station in Yerevan; Armenia bans two Russian TV programs hosted by Kremlin propagandist Vladimir Salavyov; Armenia’s Prime Minister says that there is only one government in Armenia, in response to the last President of Artsakh’s announcement that the Artsakh government is operating in exile in Armenia and more.

After being forcibly displaced by Azerbaijan, a group of men from Artsakh transformed the interior of a dilapidated hospital in the Ararat region of Armenia and built eight separate apartments for their families. A photo story by Ani Gevorgyan.

In EVN Report’s news roundup for the week of March 22: Discussions about the handover of four abandoned villages to Azerbaijan continued; Armenians from Artsakh hold a rally in Yerevan’s Freedom Square demanding more aid from the Armenian government and international security guarantees for their return; Armenia’s national carrier, FlyArna’s license is suspended for six months and more.

The Coordinating Council of Armenian Associations in France recently hosted its annual dinner in Paris against the backdrop of heightened geopolitical tensions and concerns over Armenia's security. The focus shifted to the role of France in implementing deterrence measures and sanctions against Azerbaijan.

From adolescent angst to the exploration of cultural resilience, Sheila Paylan discovers the parallels between the preservation of traditions, like Cambodia's Sak Yant tattoo art, and the current challenges faced by the Armenian people in Nagorno-Karabakh.

Expectations and optimism are often the primary drivers of investment activity. It’s easy to be negative in the current times that Armenia is living, however, hope and optimism are key to inspiring drive, effort and motivation, especially when Armenia needs it most.

With Zelenskyy’s potential visit to Armenia in the coming days, Justin Tomczyk writes that Ukraine’s experience over the past two years can provide insights into how smaller democracies must fight against their larger, authoritarian neighbors.

“The story of the house began with a smile and ended with tears,” writes Yan Shenkman, a Russian journalist, who moved to Armenia after the war in Ukraine started. He compiled monologues from the Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh for an upcoming exhibition about the homes they lost.

The Year of the Dragon is particularly auspicious. It symbolizes strength, courage, power, nobility and honor and it also coincides with one of the darkest periods in Armenian history. In this inaugural column for “Unleashed”, Sheila Paylan writes about the need to wake up the dragon.

In a voluminous collection of texts, historian and former diplomat Jirair Libaridian examines the reasons behind the moral, military and intellectual defeat of the Armenian elite in the context of three issues: the contemporary history of the Republic of Armenia, the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, and Armenian-Turkish relations.

2024 has gotten off to a bad start, with several destabilizing fires fueling the specter of a widespread conflict. In these circumstances, Armenia must opt for a global view of the regional situation, writes Tigran Yegavian.

In EVN Report’s news roundup for the week of January 19: Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov blames Armenia for lack of progress in peace talks; French Senate adopts resolution condemning Azerbaijan’s military offensive in Artsakh, deploring any further attempt at aggression and violation of the territorial integrity of Armenia; third non-combat death in one week registered in the country and more.

In September, two families-in-law from Artsakh found refuge in the village of Yeghvard, Armenia, joining over 100,000 displaced Armenians facing similar challenges. Marut Vanyan, a journalist from Artsakh, provides insight into their experiences.

In this last podcast for the year, EVN Report’s Maria Titizian and Roubina Margossian speak about the events of 2023: the blockade of Artsakh, followed by Azerbaijan’s attack on September 19, the total ethnic cleansing of the indigenous Armenian population of Artsakh, Armenia’s efforts to diversity its security and foreign policy, Yerevan elections and more.

Even a cursory examination of the events in Nagorno-Karabakh provides a solid basis to assert the existence of a potential case for a crime against humanity of forced deportation under the Rome Statute stemming from Azerbaijan’s attack in September 2023.

In EVN Report’s news roundup for the week of December 1: Armenian and Azerbaijani border delimitation commissions meet at the state border; following the September 19 Azerbaijani attack on Artsakh, 16 people are in Azerbaijani custody, including eight Artsakh state officials; trucks loaded with Armenian-made products are stranded for days at the Lars border before being turned back; Russia says the products did not pass quality inspection and more.

Irina Merdinyan traveled into the heart of a tragedy to help the forcibly displaced Armenians of Artsakh. In the midst of that experience, she was confronted with pain, confusion, anger and fleeting moments of joy.

Specialists from the Ministry of Internal Affairs are working to alleviate the anxiety of the forcibly displaced children from Artsakh by offering psychological first aid. Their journey is captured in this photo story by Ani Gevorgyan.

Volunteering has become widespread in Armenia in recent years. However, it has only recently received legal regulation. The critical role of volunteers became especially evident after the Azerbaijani attack on Artsakh on September 19, 2023.

As the forcibly displaced Armenians of Artsakh struggle to comprehend the magnitude of their loss, memories of the homes and lives they were forced to leave behind suffocate them. Theirs is a story of being ripped from their roots, of pain and dispossession.

More than 500 forcibly displaced Armenians from Artsakh are now in the village of Zorak in Armenia’s Ararat region, where several families are living together in one house, some even in their trucks. Photojournalist Ani Gevorgyan tells their story.

California Superior Court Judge Gassia Apkarian, an advisor to the Center for Truth and Justice (CFTJ), says that the forced deportation of the Armenians of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) by Azerbaijan constitutes genocide. The CFTJ, created in the aftermath of the 2020 Artsakh War, oversees the collection of firsthand testimonial evidence from survivors of war through in-depth, recorded interviews to be a living memorial to crimes against humanity, for study, education and legal action.

Communications Manager and Spokesperson for the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), Zara Amatuni, speaks to EVN Report about the work of the ICRC following the mass exodus of the indigenous Armenian population of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) after Azerbaijan's large-scale attack, the challenges facing the forcibly displaced who are now in Armenia and the fate of the missing.

In EVN Report’s news roundup for the week of September 15, 2023: Tensions in the region continue to dominate headlines, including the growing rift between Russia and Armenia; a Russian Red Cross truck carrying humanitarian aid crosses into Artsakh through the Aghdam road; the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee hosts a hearing on the situation in Artsakh and more.

Mellisa, a six-year-old from the village of Harav in besieged Artsakh, should have started first grade this year. However, she will not be attending school, and neither will her four older siblings.

In EVN Report’s news roundup for the week of September 1, 2023: Three Armenian soldiers killed and another two wounded as Azerbaijan intensifies attacks on Armenia-proper; Artsakh’s President Arayik Harutyunyan resigns as the catastrophic siege of Artsakh continues; Anne Hidalgo, the mayor of Paris leads a convoy of French humanitarian aid to the Lachin Corridor, which is stopped by Azerbaijan.

In EVN Report’s news roundup for the week of August 18, 2023: The UN Security Council convenes emergency meeting to discuss the humanitarian crisis in Artsakh where the first case of death by starvation was recorded; Azerbaijan cuts Internet supply to the population of Artsakh for several hours; eleven people are killed in a tragic car crash on the Yerevan-Gyumri highway and more.

Nothing in Artsakh is what it used to be. The Stepanakert market, once known as a feast of tastes and colors has now become a concentrated mosaic of all our misery, writes Tamara Grigoryan, a resident of the capital city.

In EVN Report’s news roundup for the week of August 11, 2023: Luis Moreno Ocampo, the founding prosecutor of the International Criminal Court releases report, says blockade of the Lachin Corridor should be considered a genocide; international media coverage of the siege of Artsakh begins ramping up; Artsakh faces potential critical water shortages as mortality rates spike because of a lack of medicine and medical services and more.

In EVN Report’s news roundup for the week of August 4, 2023: Despite calls from around the world to lift the blockade of Artsakh, Baku continues to strangulate 120,000 people; the abduction and arrest of a 68-year-old resident of Artsakh during a humanitarian transfer raises fears of deepening the already acute crisis in the region; diplomats accredited to Armenia and UN agencies visit Kornidzor where trucks of humanitarian aid continue to be blocked by Baku.

As Azerbaijan continues to tighten its noose around Artsakh, blocking all humanitarian assistance and aid from reaching the population, young people from Artsakh share pictures of their meals.

In EVN Report’s news roundup for the week of July 28, 2023: The situation in Artsakh has reached a tipping point as 120,000 people continue to suffer under a total blockade imposed by Baku; almost 400 tons of humanitarian aid dispatched from Yerevan has not been allowed to enter Artsakh; authorities in Artsakh and Armenia continue to raise the alarm that if the blockade is not lifted, people will begin dying.

Ignoring the obvious political, moral and legal realities in addressing the plight of the people of Artsakh is tantamount to watering the seeds of further instability with proliferating effects, writes Armenia’s former Minister of Foreign Affairs Zohrab Mnatsakanyan.

In EVN Report’s news roundup for the week of July 21, 2023: The situation in Artsakh has become extremely critical, grocery stores are empty, medicine, medical supplies and fuel are on the verge of running out. Armenia’s Foreign Affairs Minister says that Baku’s intention is to create unbearable conditions for living and aims to ethnically cleanse Nagorno-Karabakh; warns that people are on the verge of hunger and starvation.

Baku does not want to end the humanitarian catastrophe it precipitated by blockading the Lachin Corridor. Its intent is to ethnically cleanse Artsakh of its indigenous Armenian population that has lived and flourished on that land for millennia.

In EVN Report’s news roundup for the week of July 14, 2023: Baku bans the ICRC from providing humanitarian aid through the Lachin Corridor, accuses the organization of smuggling illegal goods; a large rally takes place in Stepanakert, Artsakh demanding the unblocking of the Lachin Corridor and an adequate international response; the presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan are set to meet in Brussels tomorrow.

In EVN Report’s news roundup for the week of July 7, 2023: The situation in Artsakh becomes extremely grave as Azerbaijan’s total blockade continues; PM Nikol Pashinyan says a meeting with Azerbaijan’s president will take place in Brussels in the near future; two Armenian serviceman abducted on Armenian territory by Azerbaijani forces are sentenced to 11 years and six months by a court in Sumgait and more.

In EVN Report’s news roundup for the week of June 30, 2023: Four servicemen are killed in an Azerbaijani attack in Artsakh; the foreign ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan conclude the latest round of talks in Washington; after a total blockade, the ICRC is able to resume the transfer of patients from Artsakh to Armenia for now.

State-backed Azerbaijani “eco-activists” shut down the Lachin Corridor back in December 2022 placing Artsakh in a blockade. This was followed by the installment of an illegal Azerbaijani checkpoint on the Hakari Bridge on the Armenia-Azerbaijan state border, further strangulating the Armenian population. Live updates as the siege of Artsakh continues.

In EVN Report’s news roundup for the week of June 23, 2023: It has been over a week that all humanitarian aid and cargo into Artsakh has been blocked by Baku; PACE Resolution condemns Azerbaijan and expresses surprise that Baku refuses to acknowledge the serious humanitarian and human rights consequences of the blockade; Chair of the European Parliament’s sub-committee on Security and Defense visits Lachin Corridor, calls the blockade illegal and says Baku must ensure the rights and well being of the Armenians of Artsakh.

In EVN Report’s news roundup for the week of June 16, 2023: Azerbaijani forces cross Hakari Bridge in an attempt to hoist their flag; Baku bans all humanitarian passenger and cargo transport through the Lachin Corridor; two Indian nationals injured following Azerbaijani attack on a metallurgical plant in Armenia’s Ararat region.

In EVN Report’s news roundup for the week of June 9, 2023: Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has a brief meeting with llham Aliyev in Ankara at Erdogan’s inauguration ceremony; The U.S and the EU call on Azerbaijan to restore the supply of energy to Artsakh; Azerbaijan postpones the meeting of foreign ministers in Washington.

In EVN Report’s news roundup for the week of June 2, 2023: The leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan meet in Chisinau on the sidelines of the European Political Community Summit; Armenia applies to the ECHR requesting the court to indicate provisional measures for the protection of the rights of two Armenian soldiers captured by Azerbaijan; a statement issued by the U.S. State Department causes a stir in Armenia and Artsakh.

Although Italy and Armenia have a long history of ties, Italy’s current economic interests and choice of strategic partners leave little room for maneuver in support of Armenia or Artsakh.

In EVN Report’s news roundup for the week of April 28: Azerbaijan installs checkpoint at the entrance of the Lachin Corridor in flagrant violation of the tripartite statement that ended the 2020 war; Azerbaijani eco-activists, who had been blocking the Corridor for 138 days, have temporarily suspend their protest; France’s Foreign Affairs Minister is in Armenia, says Baku must comply with the ICJ decision on the Lachin Corridor and more.

In EVN Report’s news roundup for the week of March 24: An Armenian soldier is killed by Azerbaijani fire near the village of Yeraskh in Armenia; while in Talish, now under Azerbaijani control, Ilham Aliyev makes threatening statements against Armenia; Armenia’s Constitutional Court announces decision declaring obligations enshrined in the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court to be constitutional and more.

In EVN Report’s news roundup for the week of March 17: European Parliament adopts resolution on EU-Armenia relations, strongly condemning Azerbaijan’s aggression, welcoming reforms made by Armenia; former NATO Secretary General visits Lachin Corridor, says EU must push Baku to lift blockade; Yerevan’s mayor resigns and more.

Azerbaijan’s threat of military aggression and ethnic cleansing of Nagorno-Karabakh’s indigenous Armenian population remains extremely critical. If not prevented, it will constitute another major blow to the international order.

Tamara Grigoryan, who lived and worked in Karvachar for a decade and who now lives in Stepanakert asks a fundamental question: Are we going to live in Artsakh as the owners of the homeland or not?

Արցախաբնակ Թամարա Գրիգորյանի՝ չավարտվող շրջափակմանն ու այս օրերի դժվար պատասխաններ ունեցող հարցերին վերաբերող անդրադարձի ՁայնաԳիրը։

In EVN Report’s news roundup for the week of March 3: Despite the ICJ ruling ordering Azerbaijan to ensure free movement, the Lachin Corridor still remains blockaded; Azerbaijan violates the ceasefire in Artsakh three times; Germany’s Chancellor advocates for a peaceful resolution that respects the right to self-determination for the people of Artsakh and more.

In EVN Report’s news roundup for the week of February 24: The International Court of Justice orders Azerbaijan to ensure free movement of persons, cargo and other goods along the Lachin Corridor; Ruben Vardanyan, the State Minister of Artsakh is dismissed from his position by President Arayik Harutyunyan; the Government of Armenia gives the go ahead to Lydian to start operating the Amulsar gold mine and more.

In EVN Report’s news roundup for the week of February 17: Armenia’s Foreign Affairs Minister Ararat Mirzoyan is in Turkey this week; 120,000 people in Artsakh continue to remain under siege as Azerbaijan’s blockade of the Lachin Corridor continues; Armenia and Azerbaijan continue to discuss the next phase of the peace process and more.

Children who were separated from their families because of Azerbaijan’s blockade of the Lachin Corridor, were finally able to return home to Artsakh after 47 days. They shared their thoughts before their long-awaited reunion.

In EVN Report’s news roundup for the week of February 10: The population of Artsakh has been left without gas supply again Azerbaijan’s blockade of the Lachin Corridor enters its 61st day; Armenia sends humanitarian aid and rescue teams to Syria and Turkey in the aftermath of the devastating earthquakes; Seyran Ohanyan, Armenia’s former defense minister and member of the opposition Armenia Alliance was stripped of his parliamentary immunity this week.

Artsakh’s entire economy is heavily dependent on Armenia, and the blockade of the Lachin Corridor has made it more vulnerable, giving Azerbaijan the ability to weaponize Artsakh’s energy supply and control over its critical infrastructure.

Azerbaijan’s behavior meets all of the criteria that triggers the implementation of the Responsibility to Protect (R2P) principle. The international community must resolutely raise this issue in order to deter the Aliyev regime from continuing its predatory policies.

The security context in December showed that regardless of negotiations or the general contours of a potential peace treaty, actual and sustainable peace with the Aliyev Government will remain elusive. This month’s security report introduces the concept of ontological security.

In EVN Report’s news roundup for the week of December 23: For 12 days now, Azerbaijan has been blockading Artsakh; the European Court of Human Rights applied interim measures against Baku for the ongoing blockade of the Lachin Corridor; PM Nikol Pashinyan criticizes the inaction of Russian peacekeepers and says Azerbaijan’s blockade grossly violates provisions of the November 9 trilateral statement.

By blockading the Lachin Corridor and triggering a humanitarian crisis, Azerbaijan is employing hybrid warfare tactics against the Armenians. This operation is pursuing short-, mid- and long-term objectives. Sossi Tatikyan explains.

In EVN Report’s news roundup for the week of December 16: Artsakh continues to remain in a blockade after so-called Azerbaijani “environmental activists” shut down the Lachin Corridor; after international pressure, Azerbaijani authorities restore natural gas supply to Artsakh; Armenia’s parliament adopts bill on creating a Ministry of Internal Affairs and more.

Armenia's Human Rights Defender Kristinne Grigoryan speaks to EVN Report about the consequences of Azerbaijan's blockade of the Lachin Corridor, the violation of the rights of the people of Artsakh as a result of that blockade and the legal instruments that Armenia can and has implemented to counter the consequences.

A group of Azerbaijani “environmental activists” blocked the Lachin Corridor on December 12, effectively isolating the population of Artsakh. Later, Azerbaijani authorities shut off the natural gas supply to the Republic triggering a pending humanitarian catastrophe. The blockade of Artsakh continues. Live updates on the unfolding situation.

Armenian experts were hardly under the illusion that the CSTO would fulfill its statutory obligations toward Armenia, given strong military and political ties between Azerbaijan and some CSTO members.

The interplay between two conflicts, one in Eastern Europe, the other in the Caucasus provides a global dimension to the issues they contain. Beyond the common space-time matrix, what can we learn from what lies at the nexus of these two conflicts?

In Nagorno-Karabakh, the consequences of upholding Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity entails the imminent threat to the indigenous Armenian population that is no different than Kosovo, Timor-Leste or South Sudan: the inevitability of ethnic cleaning and genocide.

The scope of gross human rights violations that ethnic Armenians were subjected to during and after the 2020 Artsakh War contributes to the body of empirical data that could be used if Armenia were to become a party to the Rome Statute.

Although the only things Hratsin Ohanyan has left of her native Hadrut is a photo album and her dialect, she stubbornly refuses to let her status as an internally displaced person pull her down. She is resilient, hopeful and fearless.

Who is the most influential and determined mediator to prevent the possibility of another aggression against Artsakh or Armenia? The answer will define who can be the main guarantor of peace for the South Caucasus.

In EVN Report’s news roundup for the week of November 4: The leaders of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Russia meet in Sochi; Armenia’s PM Nikol Pashinyan travels to Tehran; Artsakh’s Parliament holds extraordinary session, states that any attempt to forcibly annex Artsakh to Azerbaijan would be a gross violation of international law and a license to commit another genocide, while a massive rally takes place in Stepanakert’s central square and more.

Suddenly Yerevan felt like Europe in the 1930s or 1940s: a crossroads, full of people from different places, with different histories, living with different temporalities of trauma related to different conflicts, and the sense that everything could change in a moment.

In EVN Report’s news roundup for the week of October 21: OSCE Needs Assessment Mission expected to arrive in Armenia today; while in India for an official visit, Defense Minister Suren Papikyan meets his counterpart and takes part in DEFEXPO defense exhibition; while in Yerevan, Iran’s Foreign Minister reiterates Tehran’s stance that it will not accept any change of historical borders in the region, which he called a red line for Iran.

Ongoing security threats by Azerbaijani Armed Forces since the end of the 2020 Artsakh War have prompted Armenian policy makers to speed up planned upgrades to the country’s transport infrastructure. Raffi Elliot explains.

For years, the EU did nothing to reign Putin in. Finding an alternative for its energy needs, the EU traded one gas supplier waging a genocidal war of aggression—Russia, with another—Azerbaijan.

Following Azerbaijan’s latest attack, this time against Armenia proper, international actors are calling on both sides to de-escalate the situation. Bothsidism in this context is ridiculous, tiresome, and shameful. Not naming the aggressor or who is benefiting from violence is not a neutral act. It is not telling the truth.

In EVN Report’s news roundup for the week of September 9: Five Armenian POWs are repatriated following the Pashinyan-Aliyev meeting in Brussels; the new U.S. co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group is in Armenia; opposition forces announce that they will boycott parliament again; Starmus Festival kicks off in Yerevan and more.

Armenia hasn’t participated in any multilateral connectivity initiatives in the South Caucasus since independence, primarily due to the war with Azerbaijan. Since the 2020 Artsakh War, new projects are taking shape—again without Armenia’s participation.

Baku’s aggressive rhetoric must not be normalized. In spite of their geopolitical, oil and gas interests, major international players should define their red lines, refrain from a policy of parity and prevent further military aggression by Azerbaijan.

If the EU is honest in its commitment to make peace possible in the South Caucasus, then it needs to address Baku’s ongoing anti-Armenian rhetoric and policy of creating permanent tensions on the borders to pressure Armenia for further concessions.

In EVN Report’s news roundup for the week of September 2: The leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan meet in Brussels; former Artsakh Defense Army commander arrested for negligence and abuse of power; three people arrested in connection with the deadly Surmalu market blast and more.

After its military victory in the 2020 Artsakh War, Azerbaijan elevated its war of narratives against Armenians to a new and increasingly aggressive level, often accompanied with disinformation.

This year, Azerbaijan, along with seven other countries, is under review by the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) in Geneva. Tamara Voskanian is the co-founder of the Center for Truth and Justice (CFTJ) and lawyer Talin Hitik is heading up the CFTJ’s delegation in Geneva, presenting the organization’s report based on primary evidence on Azerbaijan’s ongoing violations during the CERD hearing. They spoke to EVN Report about their ongoing efforts to bring to the world’s attention the crimes committed by Azerbaijan and the impact this will have on the Armenia v. Azerbaijan case at the International Court of Justice.

Ստեփանակերտի օդանավակայանի մասին ֆիլմին անդրադարձող հոդվածի ՁայնաԳիրը: Ընթերցում է հեղինակը։

The 2020 Artsakh War and the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian war are the first classic interstate wars in almost two decades involving the regular armies on both sides of the conflict, highlighting trends in warfare, including the effect of the latest technological solutions.

Azerbaijan’s motivations, strategy, manipulation, and attempts to legitimize its every military aggression against Artsakh are gross violations of the November 9, 2020 tripartite statement that ended the 2020 Artsakh War.

Բաքվի կողմից 2020-ի նոյեմբերի 9-ի եռակողմ հայտարարության կոպիտ խախտումները ներկայացնող հոդվածի ՁայնաԳիրը։

Just days after Azerbaijan’s most recent military attack, local authorities in Nagorno-Karabakh instructed residents of the Armenian village of Aghavno to leave their homes by August 25, when it is scheduled to be handed over to Azerbaijani control.

Russia’s war against Ukraine has thrust the South Caucasus into a contest for control over transport routes. Despite being landlocked, Armenia remains at the center of Russian-Turkish ambitions to deepen cooperation.

In EVN Report’s news roundup for the week of July 29: Azerbaijani Armed Forces fire on villages in Artsakh, damaging a home in Karmir Shuka; jailed government critic Avetik Chalabyan is released from pre-trial detention; Turkey sets preconditions for normalization of relations with Armenia and more.

Ներկա իրավիճակում Լեռնային Ղարաբաղի հակամարտության հնարավոր լուծում առաջարկող հոդվածի ՁայնաԳիրը։

The 2020 Artsakh War exposed a number of myths and misconceptions in Armenia and among Armenians toward the West. Taline Papazian reviews some of those misconceptions and outlines current Western engagement in Armenia and the region.

Լեռնային Ղարաբաղի հակամարտության հետ համեմատելի՝ Նախիջևանի, Հարավային Օսեթիայի, Հյուսիսային Կիպրոսի, Բոսնիա և Հերցեգովինայի, Արևելյան Թիմորի և Կոսովոյի հակամարտությունների զարգացումը ներկայացնող Սոսի Թաթիկյանի հոդվածի ՁայնաԳիրը։

«Քաղաքականություն» բաժնում հրապարակված՝ Սոսի Թաթիկյանի «Մաս 1. Ի՞նչ կարող է պատահել Լեռնային Ղարաբաղի հայերին. նրանց անվտանգության և մարդու իրավունքների երաշխիքների բացակայությունից բխող անորոշություններ» հոդվածի ձայնագիրը: Ընթերցում է Սոնա Ներսեսյանը: Երեք մասից բաղկացած հոդվածաշարի առաջին մասում Սոսի Թաթիկյանը վերլուծում է Լեռնային Ղարաբաղի անորոշությունները և հնարավոր սցենարները, եթե Հայաստանի ղեկավարությունը ճանաչի Ադրբեջանի տարածքային ամբողջականությունը։

In EVN Report’s news roundup for the week of July 8: Azerbaijani Armed Forces open fire on Armenian villages twice in the Vayots Dzor region of Armenia; Artsakh authorities report that the Kanach Zham Church in Shushi is being converted to an orthodox church under the pretense of restoration work; Russia responds to Canadian embassy opening in Yerevan and more.

A collection of articles about the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict through the lens of Moscow by Dr. Artyom Tonoyan entitled, “Black Garden Aflame” will become a classic and a major go-to resource for scholars, writes Dr. Pietro Shakarian.

In this next installment of a series on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Sossi Tatikyan presents a way forward given the current situation to ensure security guarantees for the Artsakh Armenians and mark progress in the conflict’s resolution.

Almost all systemic and structural political and military weaknesses of Armenia share a fundamental root cause: the chronic absence of a culture and tradition of Statehood, both in the mindset of the political leadership and the general public.

A new security environment was created after the 2020 Artsakh War, requiring a revision of Armenia’s National Security Strategy that was adopted before Azerbaijan launched the war in Nagorno-Karabakh. Hovsep Kanadyan explains.

Instead of making Yerevan step back every time there is a deadlock in the negotiation process, the mediators should instead develop the tools to pressure Baku. If they do not, another war in the South Caucasus is likely.

The global response to secessionist inter-ethnic conflicts is shaped by a number of factors, from the extent of the threat of ethnic cleansing, to possession and instrumentalization of energy sources and more. Sossi Tatikyan explains.

«Կարծիք» բաժնում հրապարակված՝ Կայծ Մինասեանի «Արցախ-Ուկրաինա. Հայաստանը` երկու պատերազմի արանքում» հոդվածի ձայնագիրը: Ընթերցում է Սոնա Ներսեսյանը: Փետրվարի 24-ին Ռուսաստանի ներխուժումից հետո Ուկրաինայում ծավալվող իրադարձությունների շուրջ չդադարող լարվածության պայմաններում և 2020 թվականին Արցախում պարտությունից հետո Հայաստանն ինչպե՞ս կարող է դուրս գալ ահագնացող հակամարտությունների այս շղթայից:

For over 30 years, there has been a constant refrain on the righteousness of Armenia’s national aims and precious little about the means towards those ends, and the feasibility of those chosen goals.

If those genuine activists who have genuine grievances want this government gone, then they must also get rid of the Kocharyans and Sargsyans from their ranks. Until this happens, the transition to mainstream legitimacy will be a Sisyphean endeavor.

The resilience to persevere through unspeakable trauma was embodied by the tenacity to celebrate the May 8 and 9 holidays in Artsakh with a full schedule of events.

Are we headed toward a better, or a more worrying future? Is the pendulum swinging toward more uncertainty or toward a lull? Two fundamental questions stand out: the survival of Artsakh and the independence of Armenia.

There’s an air of restlessness in Artsakh. It derives from the uncertainty about where the Republic of Armenia stands. The feeling is that Artsakh and Armenia are on diverging paths, and a rift has appeared between their governments.

In EVN Report’s news roundup for the week of April 29: the Foreign Ministers of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Russia to meet in Dushanbe on May 13; ongoing opposition protests are calling for the resignation of PM Nikol Pashinyan; a number of former state officials issue statement on the critical situation in the country following the 2020 Artsakh War and more.

The Russian invasion of Ukraine has shaken the European continent, and there is one non-conventional weapon—energy supply—that is playing a big role. What are the opportunities for Azerbaijan and the implications for Armenia and Artsakh?

In order to understand what may happen to Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh if appropriate international guarantees for security and human rights are not put in place for them, Sossi Tatikyan presents the evolution of several comparable conflicts.

In Part 1 of a three-part series, Sossi Tatikyan analyzes the uncertainties and possible scenarios for Nagorno-Karabakh if Armenia’s leadership goes ahead with the recognition of Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity.

The West is openly implying that it intends to remain involved in the resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, even as its relations with Russia could potentially hobble the OSCE Minsk Group Co-chairmanship.

In the wake of lingering concern over the events unfolding in Ukraine following Russia’s February 24 invasion and its defeat in Artsakh in 2020, how can Armenia pull itself out of this chain of elevated conflicts?

During March 2022, the Word—not only allegorically, but in the most literal sense—finds itself outstretched like the Vitruvian man strung from the corners of our Armenian-Russian-Ukrainian semiotic triangle.

The leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan met in Brussels on April 6, 2022, on the initiative of the European Council president. Why is the EU taking an interest now when it was a mere observer during the 2020 Artsakh War?

In EVN Report’s news roundup for the week of April 1: the Minister of Emergency SItuations is arrested on corruption charges; the ruling Civil Contract party announces their mayoral candidate for the 2023 elections; Artsakh requests more Russian peacekeepers as the situation remains tense and more.

Latest developments in Nagorno-Karabakh demonstrate Azerbaijan’s intent to ethnically cleanse the indigenous Armenian population and highlight the necessity of introducing international norms in the peacekeeping architecture there.

Azerbaijan’s main goal is the removal of ethnic Armenians from Artsakh through the creation of conditions unfavorable for living, as well as creating an atmosphere of fear among the Armenian population.

After weeks of blocking gas supply to the population of Artsakh, the Azerbaijani Armed Forces launched an attack in the Askeran region, taking control of Parukh village and surrounding positions. While the international community has offered concern, sanctions are what’s needed.

Baku is consistently thwarting all post-war negotiations and existing formats, as the sole agenda of Aliyev’s regime is the total annihilation of Armenians from Artsakh, and possibly even the Republic of Armenia.

In EVN Report’s news roundup for the week of March 25: Azerbaijan violates the ceasefire regime in Artsakh, dangerously escalating the situation while the world’s attention is focused on Ukraine; Armenia applies to the ECHR, asking the court to take urgent measures against Azerbaijan for violating the rights of the people of Artsakh; after briefly restoring natural gas supply to Artsakh, Azerbaijan shuts it down again, leaving residents without heat in freezing temperatures and more.

Azerbaijan openly announced that it would begin to destroy the Armenian cultural heritage of Artsakh and erase traces of the Armenian language from monuments. The European Parliament is one of the first institutions that has reacted to this Armenophobic policy.

In EVN Report’s news roundup for the week of March 11: Azerbaijani Armed Forces are targeting Armenian settlements and military positions as the world’s attention is focused on the war in Ukraine; the European Parliament passes a resolution on the destruction of cultural heritage in Artsakh; Armenia’s National Security Service announces that it caught another spy network operating in Armenia and more.

Over a year after Russian troops were deployed to Artsakh, here’s what we know about the Russian presence there, with the historical background for Moscow’s drive for boots on the ground in Artsakh.

In EVN Report’s news roundup for the week of March 4: Armenia’s parliament elects new president; natural gas prices set to increase on April 1; Armenia abstains during UN vote on a resolution against the war in Ukraine and more.

“We only get a small window of actually living in historical moments.” War photographer Jonathan Alpeyrie and French-Armenian Cellist Astrig Siranossian team up for a photography sale to benefit the children of Armenia and Artsakh.

Today on Army Day, Armenian soldiers continue to protect our fragile borders in difficult and sometimes dismal conditions and now, more than ever, fundamental reforms of the Armed Forces is of paramount importance.

2021 was a difficult year for the Armenian nation as it continued to confront external threats, Azerbaijani incursions into its sovereign territory and an unclear future for both Armenia and Artsakh. Here we present a brief overview of the main events from the past year.

A new program is implementing art therapy classes to help children in one of Armenia’s poorest regions cope with the trauma of war and process the barrage of negative news and feelings.

Western attempts to infiltrate into the sphere of Russian influence have meant to weaken Russia and maintain constant tension. Could this result in larger clashes with more unpredictable consequences, this time between large geopolitical players?

In light of Azerbaijan’s aggressive military operations, the international community’s response and the formation of a format for the delimitation and demarcation process, Sossi Tatikyan offers comprehensive suggestions on potential formats and phases.

A year after the end of the war in Artsakh, Armenia and Azerbaijan are far from a sustainable peace. Regardless of how many olive branches are gifted to the leaders of the two sides, we are once again back to a “no war, no peace” situation, writes Tatev Hayrapetyan.

This concept paper undertakes a reconfiguration of Armenia’s doctrinal policy on Nagorno-Karabakh, thus formulating the empirical and legal basis to develop a grand strategy on the concept of remedial sovereignty.

Between Paris and Yerevan, the declarations of friendship abound. But rare are those who evoke the failures of this friendship. What are the strengths and weaknesses of the Franco-Armenian affinity?

Since the end of the 2020 Artsakh War, Russia has enjoyed an effective monopoly over the negotiation process. Recent initiatives by the EU suggest that Europe may be taking a more proactive role in the South Caucasus.

The recognition of the Armenian Genocide by the U.S. stemmed from its own interests. Other allied powers are considering following suit. Will Armenia be able to take advantage of this shift in global geopolitics?

On November 16, 2021, Azerbaijani Armed Forces launched a large-scale offensive along the eastern border of Armenia, resulting in intense battles. There are confirmed casualties and wounded. Live Updates.

This is not a story about war. This is the story of what happens after the bullets, missiles, bombs and drones no longer fly through the autumn air. Maria Titizian recounts her journey to Artsakh last year, two days after the signing of the trilateral statement ending the war.

A year has passed since the end of the 2020 Artsakh War. The ceasefire statement signed by the leaders of Russia, Armenia and Azerbaijan on November 9, 2020, brought a new geopolitical reality to the region.

On September 16, 2021, Armenia instituted proceedings at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) against Azerbaijan on the basis of violations of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (CERD). Yeghishe Kirakosyan, Armenia’s agent at the ICJ and international law expert Levon Gevorgyan who was an advisor and part of Armenia’s legal team at The Hague speak to EVN Report about the landmark case.

Back in early October, a resident of Martakert was shot dead by Azerbaijani fire while he was driving a tractor. A Russian peacekeeper was sitting right beside him at the time. What is behind Azerbaijan’s provocations?

A unique combination of causal factors at different levels made the 44-day war possible. Tigran Grigoryan presents a systematic and comprehensive explanation of the structural conditions and circumstances behind Azerbaijan’s large-scale offensive.

Controversy erupted after the Hayastan All Armenian Fund transferred 60% of funds donated during and after the war to the state budget. The absence of a complete audit almost a year since it was first proposed leaves donors still asking “where is the money?”

The UK embassy in Azerbaijan and British companies were very active during and after the 2020 Artsakh War. While the spilled blood was still fresh, British businesses were already focused on the profits to be made.

Gaidz Minassian delves into the turbulent spaces of history, memory and identity and deconstructs why the mother of all battles—the construction of a State on its sovereign pillars—was undermined.

Azerbaijan and Turkey are not interested in peace. With the new realities on the ground following Azerbaijan’s military success, the Armenian Government should be careful when promising an “era of peace” to its people.

What has Armenia’s defeat in the 2020 Artsakh War revealed? Tigran Yegavian reviews a recently published White Paper that looks at a number of misconceptions, failures and dysfunctions within Armenian statehood and attempts to diagnose those ills and offer possible solutions.

Since the end of the 2020 Artsakh War, tensions between the Islamic Republic of Iran and Azerbaijan have been escalating. Although an outright military confrontation seems unlikely, it would have devastating consequences for the region.

Since the 2020 Artsakh War, France has been at the forefront of diplomatic activity in resolving the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. What goal is Paris hoping to achieve with this issue that is so far removed from the concerns of the French?

Armenia instituted proceedings against Azerbaijan at the International Court of Justice on the basis of violations of the Convention on Elimination of Racial Discrimination. A week later, Azerbaijan submitted its own claim against Armenia. Gabriel Armas-Cardona breaks it down.

Dictators are emboldened by the silence of those who claim to be proponents of human rights and justice. Turkey’s Erdogan and Azerbaijan’s Aliyev must be held accountable for war crimes and crimes against humanity, writes Irina Ghaplanyan.

While the majority of women didn’t pick up guns to fight in the war, many used their skills to fight in their own way. On this first anniversary of the 2020 Artsakh War, Kushane Chobanyan presents the stories of six extraordinary women who were on the front lines.

Does the Armenian diaspora have a role in the process of state building? Tigran Yegavian presents a brief history of Armenia-Diaspora relations starting with Armenia’s independence and offers some insights to rectify the absence of an effective relationship.

In EVN Report’s news roundup for the week of September 24: Azerbaijan files a counterclaim against Armenia at the International Court of Justice; U.S. House of Representatives passes a bill demanding the immediate release of Armenian POWs; U.S. Ambassador to Armenia says the right to self-determination of the people of Artsakh is an important aspect of negotiations.

Armenia will be looking to take advantage of its chairmanship of the CSTO to create a new Crisis Response Center. If its supposed allies continue their indifference even at the organizational stage, they should all be asking themselves why they are together in the first place.

Canada has a finely-crafted international image as a champion of human rights. While different factors contributed to the outcome of the 2020 Artsakh War, one of them, the Turkish Bayraktar drone used against Artsakh, was heavily reliant on target acquisition optics made by a Canadian company.

Municipal elections will take place in Armenia throughout the fall and serve as an important indicator for the future direction of Armenian politics. Harout Manougian breaks it down.

After launching an attack against Artsakh in 2020, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has taken every opportunity to take personal credit for Azerbaijan’s military successes, along with his family.

Azerbaijani Armed Forces used internationally banned cluster bombs and weapons containing white phosphorus during the 2020 Artsakh War. The use of incendiary weapons caused severe burns to dozens of soldiers and irreversible loss to the environment.

China considers Turkey a key strategic partner under the Belt and Road Initiative. It has also intensified economic relations with Azerbaijan and is keen to diversify its commercial routes to Europe. Was China a silent observer or did it have any role to play during the 2020 Artsakh War.

Mher Mkrtchyan has made a marked and oppositional political film, which, however, is too superficial and collapses under the incredible transparency of its agenda, writes film critic Sona Karapoghosyan.

In EVN Report’s news roundup for the week of August 20: The number of COVID-19 cases are rising again in Armenia; the situation on the Armenia-Azerbaijan border continues to claim lives as a result of Azerbaijani military provocations; the water crisis in Artsakh’s capital has yet to be resolved and more.

Developments after the 2020 Artsakh War reveal that Azerbaijan has no intention to work toward regional peace and stability. Together with Turkey, Baku aims to change the regional structure at the expense of Armenia’s security interests and needs.

In EVN Report’s news roundup for the week of August 13: While in Armenia, the Secretary General of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) said that the situation on the Armenia-Azerbaijan border is a threat for the whole region; ongoing provocations by the Azerbaijani military continue to intensify the situation on the borders; for over a week now, many residents in Artsakh’s capital have been without water.

Following the 2020 Artsakh War, the creation of a new geopolitical reality in the region by Baku and Ankara opened a "Pandora's Box" forcing the main stakeholders to re-articulate their geopolitical agenda.

In this tiny self-declared and unrecognized Republic where her ancestors once lived, Anahit tries to reassess her existence while she wages a battle for the seat.

Suren says if he had a magic wand, he would change people to make things better. Children of the 2020 Artsakh War continue to struggle with trauma. A center in Kapan is trying to change that.

After a bitter election campaign, three political forces are poised to enter parliament. What they do and how they behave will determine the future of the country.

After its victory in the 2020 Artsakh War, Azerbaijan started massive restoration projects in the seven conquered regions of the Republic of Artsakh. These projects will undoubtedly impact Armenia.

After the shocking defeat in the war, the use of the notion of “remedial secession” has not been consistent, neither by the authorities nor by other political forces in Armenia. Sossi Tatikian explains.

Director Nora Martirosyan’s film “Should the Wind Drop” reveals the frustrating situation surrounding the airport as a starting point to delve into the history, problems and spirit of Artsakh.

For decades, the Azerbaijani government has engaged in the destruction of Armenian monuments in its quest to erase all evidence of our culture. But the campaign of cultural erasure stretches beyond the physical, to the digital realm as well.

A day after the trilateral agreement ending the 2020 Artsakh War was signed, the first contingents of Russian peacekeepers were deployed. Six months in, clarifications regarding the size, mandate and mission of the peacekeepers are still not clear.

The 2020 Artsakh War highlighted the interests, strategies and positions of Iran and Russia, both regional powers, regarding the resolution of the Karabakh Conflict.

Following Moscow’s facilitation of the ceasefire agreement ending the 2020 Artsakh War, some are asking whether Armenia should pursue “more Russia or less Russia.” The reality of the matter is that geography is inescapable.

Armenian cultural, religious and historical monuments and sites currently under Azerbaijani control in the aftermath of the 2020 Artsakh War are under immediate threat of vandalism and destruction.

Following the First Karabakh War, landmines and explosive remnants of war became a major hazard for civilians. Today, four regions of Armenia are still contaminated with unexploded ordnance, impacting over 35,000 residents.

Azerbaijan increased its military spending by 17% in 2020; this was among the largest annual increases in Eastern Europe and Eurasia. Ani Avetisyan breaks down the numbers of the military expenditures of both Armenia and Azerbaijan.

There have been numerous public accusations related to espionage and high treason since the start of the 2020 Artsakh War. Despite all the noise, only one case of high treason and one case of espionage were filed during and after the war.

Three years ago today, Serzh Sargsyan resigned as Prime Minister. When it comes to unjustified constitutional amendments and rigged referendums, Armenian history should never repeat itself.

Lucrative economic ties with Azerbaijan have influenced the United Kingdom, Italy and Hungary, among others, in their stance during and after the 2020 Artsakh War.

Azerbaijan and Turkey are highly incentivized to make the Meghri corridor a reality as soon as possible. For Azerbaijan it’s to have a direct link with its exclave of Nakhijevan. For Turkey, it opens up a direct connection with Azerbaijan and the Turkic world beyond.

With Russia and now Turkey having new footholds in the South Caucasus following the 2020 Artsakh War, will Washington under the Biden administration attempt to counter these new developments?

The November 10 ceasefire agreement ended the 2020 Artsakh War, but the issue of demarcating the new state borders between Armenia and Azerbaijan has been a major concern since then.

The 2020 Artsakh War put to the test long-held assumptions about the roles of neighbors and global players in the region. Some maintained and reinforced their significance and role in the region, others raised their importance and some were invisible.

When Armenia declared independence in 1991, there was still a large contingent of Soviet troops in the country. Russian military presence, however, stretches back to the early 19th century and now, after the 2020 Artsakh War, is expanding.

Along with a number of local fact-finding initiatives to collect evidence in relation to the loss of property following the 2020 Artsakh War, Armenia’s government has also filed an inter-state complaint with the ECHR, which includes issues related to property rights.

The demand for the Prime Minister’s resignation by the Army’s General Staff is a violation of the civilian-military doctrine that has served as an institutional and normative standard within Armenia’s state system and establishes a highly dangerous precedent.

Armenia’s top military brass called for Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s resignation on Thursday. Pashinyan considered it to be an attempt at a military coup and said that the era of leniency is over. A recap of the deepening political tensions in the country.

For nearly three decades, Armenia and Azerbaijan have been buying large quantities of weapons from a number of countries. Hovhannes Nazaretyan presents a comprehensive list of weapons acquired by both countries since independence.

Several popular myths that had become deeply entrenched in Armenian society began collapsing after the war. Today, new myths are being constructed. Will Armenians risk fooling themselves into disingenuous politics and disastrous policy based on a set of new myths?

The military phase of the 2020 Artsakh War seems to have ended but the legal fight for restoring and upholding human rights is just beginning. Armenia’s Inter-State Application against Azerbaijan to the ECHR marks the beginning of that strategic process.

The Homeland Defender’s Rehabilitation Center in Yerevan, known as Zinvori Tun (Soldier’s Home) has become a place of hope, healing and rehabilitation on the road to recovery for soldiers seriously wounded during the 2020 Artsakh War.

War casualties are one of the major components of Armenia’s demographic crisis. Beyond their immediate impact, they also leave traces for years afterwards.

Armenia’s air defense systems were largely ineffective against the onslaught of combat and reconnaissance UAVs used by the Azerbaijani military. The single most important UAV used in the 2020 Artsakh War was the Turkish-made Bayraktar TB2.

The EU’s weak stance and incapacity to act during a time of great need for the Armenian people still reverberates. Today, Armenians are asking themselves if they can afford to trust the EU again.