Armenia

The latest on Syria's very tricky situation from Kevork Almassian, surely one of the greatest modern journalists we have today.

Narna Vasardnar (pictured left) and Alision Tahmizian Meuse @AliTahmizian (pictured right) discuss, in a 48 minute video, how Azerbaijan, by its use of the highway which connects its main territory in the east to its western Nakhchivan exclave, has made travel and trade between Armenia and neighbouring Iran, to the south, very difficult. They also discuss Prime Minister Pashinyan's collusion with Azerbaijan in this de-facto blockade.

In 2024 Armenians and their country, Armenia, face existential annihilation, if neighbouring Azerbaijan fulfils its ambition to turn Armenia into "West Azerbaijan," and their Prime Minister (pictured right) continues to betray them. US-NATO countries have supplied arms, not to assist the Armenian army with defending the country, but to help the police suppress popular revolt. [1] Update 9 July: This is a battle against the evil within the Pashinyan government - Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan

Further Update, 23 May 24 : Map included to more comprehensively show the territory that Azerbaijan has taken from Armenia since 2020. (I have not been able to locate any similar map anywhere.)

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan remains in office in defiance of a call by Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan for his resignation on 10 May before a massive crowd in Yerevan's Republic Square.

According to one recent report from Armenia, "The police detained citizens conducting civil disobedience in different parts of Yerevan. Among them were also the mother of 2020 Artsakh war hero Arayik Baghdasaryan and the deacon of St. Anna Church in Komitas. The total number of detainees was 48."

(This story includes an embedded 45 minute video. For reasons not clear to me, this struggle has not been reported on either Russia's RT news service nor Iran's PressTV news service.) Following the arrival of the march from the Armenian province of Tavusch to save province from annexation by neighbouring Azerbaijan, Archbishop Bagrat Gastanyan, who led that march, in his address to the assembled crowd, called for the resignation of Armenian President Nikol Pashinyan. The size of the crowd was estimated to be 100,000 . Those who have followed the history of Armenia, particularly since Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan came to power in the US-orchestrated colour revolution of 2018, will understand that this demand for the removal of Pashinyan is well overdue.

On 19 April President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan demanded that neighbouring Armenia surrender to it the territory of its northen-eastern-most province of Tavush. Armenian President Nikola Pashinyan raised no objection and, once more, following a pattern of betrayals which followed his installation as President in the US-orchestrated colour revolution of 2018, acted immediately to use the forces of the Armenian state to facilitate this surrender of territory.

Alison Tahmizian Meuse continues with her Twitter/X account @AliTahmizian to report how Armenians are continuing to resist Armenian President Nikol Pashinyan's most recent betrayal of Armenia - his attempt to hand across to Azerbaijan the region of Tavush. (Below is the latest update of 3 May.)

(Updates from 21 April) After years of surrender of territory to the neighbouring Azerbaijan, by President Nikol Pashinyan, Armenians have stood up and opposed Pashinyan's latest betrayal, the attempted handover of Tavush, the region painted red on the map in the north-eastern corner of Armenia. Currently, Ilham Aliyev, President of Azerbaijan is allowing the export of oil to the fascist regime of Benjamin Netanyahu which, has, in the six months since 7 October 2023, murdered over 32,000 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. The oil is piped from Baku in Azerbaijan, through Georgia to the north of Armenia, thence through Turkey to its port of Ceyhan, from where it is shipped to Israel. This is in spite or Turkish President Erdogan's supposed opposition to Israel's genocide. In recent nationwide local government elections, Erdogan's so-called "Justice and Development" party was wiped out because of the disgust by Turkish voters at Erdogan's duplicity. Hopefully these protest in Armenia will not only lead to the ouster of President Pashinyan, buy also of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. For further information, please follow the Twitter/X account of Alison Tahmizian Meuse at @AliTahmizian or her embedded posts here.

On 12 September, speaking in the US Senate, Democrats Senator Bob Menendez (pictured right) described the efforts by the government of Azerbaijan to prevent food and medical aid from reaching 100,000-120,000 Armenians who have been besieged in the enclave of Artsakh which lies within Azerbaijan (pictured left). He also describes Azerabiajan's atrocieties: the murder of Armenian prisoners of war and the rape of Armenian women.

Previously published (23/3/15) on SANA.

23 April? 2015

Yerevan, SANA – Syria expressed on Thursday at a global forum its condemnation of the genocide which the Ottoman Turks committed against the Armenian people in 1915. The global forum "Against the Crime of Genocide" was held in the Armenian capital Yerevan commemorating the Centennial of the well-known genocide, which is marked on April 24 every year.

Delivering Syria's speech, Speaker of the People's Assembly Mohammad Jihad al-Laham said history will not forgive those "who didn't learn the lessons of wars on other peoples."

See also: Hockey abandons plans to speak at Armenian "genocide" centenary ceremony as Tony Abbott prepares to attend ANZAC Day services at Gallipoli | The Australian (24/4/15), Syria recognizes the Armenian Genocide committed by the Ottoman Empire, Parliament Speaker says | Public Radio of Armenia (24/4/15), Millions worldwide mark 100th anniversary of Armenian genocide (PHOTO, VIDEO) | RT (25/4/15), Armenia, Turkey still at odds a century after 1915 massacre | RT (22/4/15) and other articles about the Armenian Genocide.

The current Turkish government, the successor of the Ottomans, has thrust itself so deeply in the current crisis in Syria, opening its land wide to terrorists coming from all corners of the world to cross border into Syria and commit horrible crimes against its people.

"Any crime against humans must be condemned and rejected whoever the perpetrator, and how if that crime was a genocide in which more than a million and a half of the brotherly Armenian people were killed," al-Laham told the forum.

"We in Syria have always felt the Armenians' sense of belonging is as much to Syria as it is to Armenian and vice versa," he said, affirming that the Armenians in Syria are an integral part of its people.

Al-Laham drew parallels between the Armenian Genocide and the mass crimes targeting the people in Syria and Iraq, saying the crimes systematically committed by the terrorists in both countries target all of the two peoples' components and are aimed at cleansing areas of their inhabitants.

These, and the deliberate damaging of the cultural heritage and the archeological and historical sites in Syria and Iraq, all constitute "a genocide against humanity" and crimes against the history and culture, he added.

While stressing that the history of appalling criminality is repeating itself now through the terrorists of today, al-Laham said this would not have happened was it not for those states and sides that are supplying the terrorists with whatever funds, arms, training and political and media cover they need to commit crimes.

Armenian Premier: We support Syria in confronting terrorism, seek more economic cooperation

Later, Armenian Prime Minister Hovik Abrahamyan said his country supports Syria in its fight against the terrorism exported to it from different countries.

During his meeting with Speaker al-Laham Abrahamyan stressed that the historical relations between Syria and Armenia are firmly established.

He saw that the Syrian participation in the forum, which marks the Centennial of the Armenian Genocide, committed by the Ottomans in 1915, reflects how much deep is the friendship relations binding the people of Syria and Armenia.

Out of Armenia's interest in further activating the parliamentary, political and economic relations with Syria, Abrahamyan used the opportunity of his meeting with al-Laham to extend an invitation to the Syrian Prime Minister to visit Armenia with a view of expanding the areas of economic cooperation between the two countries.

Al-Laham renewed Damascus's solidarity with Yerevan on the occasion, calling for joint work on the international level to prevent such crimes from being repeated through eliminating the terrorism ravaging Syria and Iraq.

Qabas/Haifa Said

Appendix: Other articles about the Armenian Genocide

Why Israel does not recognize the Armenian 'genocide' | Washington Post (24/4/15), Why Israel still refuses to recognize a century-old genocide | the Times of Israel (24/4/15), Obama again avoids the term 'genocide' with Armenia | USA Today (24/4/15), As Armenia marks 1915 killing, Berlin calls it genocide | Reuters (24/4/15), Armenians mark 100 years since massacre, Recognizing the Armenian Genocide | theStar.com (20/4/15), Armenian genocide survivors' stories: 'My dreams cannot mourn' | The Guardian (24/4/1515), Obama, Armenia, and What Hitler Learned About Genocide Denial | The Daily Beast (23/4/15), Armenian 'genocide': Nine ethnic and religious groups facing extermination today | The Independent (24/4/15), Armenian Genocide March Will Halt West Hollywood Eastside Traffic on Friday | WeHo ville (23/4/15).