Vae Victis !

I was also a recipient of an email from “We Are Our Mountains” organization affiliation with Ruben Vardanyan. The messenger was from his wife. I also was the recipient of another email from the “Future Armenia” organization. Ruben Vardanyan is one of its founders. The messages are attached. I read that the Azeris have concocted charges against which are preposterous but very concerning. The Azeris are charging him with financing terrorism. Vahe H Apelian

Ruben Vardanyan's wife, Veronika Zonabend, made a statement:

"My husband, Ruben Vardanyan, the philanthropist, businessman, and former Minister of State of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) was arrested and detained by the Azerbaijani authorities at the border this morning as he tried to leave with thousands of Armenians.

Ruben has stood with the Artsakh people during the 10-month blockade and has suffered with them in their struggle for survival.

I ask for your prayers and support for my husband's safe release".

*****

Dear compatriots,

It has been confirmed that the co-founder of the FUTURE ARMENIAN initiative Ruben Vardanyan has been held captive by the Azerbaijani authorities while trying to leave Artsakh. Ruben Vardanyan's wife Veronika Zonabend reported:

“My husband, Ruben Vardanyan, the philanthropist, businessman and former Minister of State of Artsakh, has been arrested and held captive by the Azerbaijani authorities at the border as he attempted to leave this morning, along with thousands of Armenians escaping Azerbaijani occupation. Ruben stood with the Artsakh people during the 10-month blockade and suffered along with them in the struggle for survival. I ask for your prayers and support to ensure my husband’s safe release”.

We urge you to make your voice of justice heard in defense of Ruben Vardanyan.

Best regards, 

The FUTURE ARMENIAN Development Foundation

*****

Ռուբեն Վարդանյանի կինը՝ Վերոնիկա Զոնաբենդը հանդես է եկել հայտարարությամբ՝

“Ամուսինս՝ Ռուբեն Վարդանյանը, բարերար, գործարար և Արցախ (Լեռնային Ղարաբաղի) նախկին պետնախարար այսօր ձերփակալվել է ադրբեջանական իշխանությունների կողմից երբ փորձում էր անցնել սահմանը հազարավոր հայերանակիցների հետ միասին։ 

Ռուբենը Արցախի ժողովրդին հետ անցել է 10-ամսյա շրջափակման միջով, տառապել նրա հետ ու պաքարել դիմակայելու համար։ 

Խնդրում եմ ձեր աղոթքներով ու աջակցությամբ ապահովել ամուսնուս ապահով ազատ արձակումը”։

*****

Հարգելի հայրենակիցներ,

Քիչ առաջ հաստատվեց, որ Արցախից դուրս գալու ժամանակ ադրբեջանական իշխանությունները գերևարել են «ԱՊԱԳԱ ՀԱՅԿԱԿԱՆԸ» նախաձեռնության համահիմնադիր Ռուբեն Վարդանյանին: Այս մասին հայտնել է Ռուբեն Վարդանյանի կինը՝ Վերոնիկա Զոնաբենդը: Նրա հայտարարությունը ներկայացնում ենք ստորև՝

«Այսօր առավոտյան ամուսինս՝ բարերար, գործարար և Արցախի նախկին պետնախարար Ռուբեն Վարդանյանը, ձերբակալվել ու գերեվարվել է Ադրբեջանի իշխանությունների կողմից, երբ փորձել է հեռանալ Արցախից՝ ադրբեջանական բռնազավթումից մազապուրծ եղած հազարավոր հայերի հետ։ Ռուբենը արցախցիների կողքին էր շրջափակման 10 ամիսներին և նրանց հետ միասին էլ զրկանքներ է կրել գոյության համար այդ պայքարում։ Ես խնդրում եմ ձեր աղոթքներն ու աջակցությունը՝ ամուսնուս անվտանգ ազատ արձակումն ապահովելու համար»: 

Կոչ ենք անում լսելի դարձնել արդարության ձեր ձայնը՝ ի պաշտպանություն Ռուբեն Վարդանյանի:

Հարգանքով,

ԱՊԱԳԱ ՀԱՅԿԱԿԱՆԸ զարգացման հիմնադրամ

Vae Victis - woe to the vanquished!

Vae Victis - վայ պարտվածներին:

 

 

 

U.S. Humanitarian Aid to Armenia

 “Section 907 of the FREEDOM Support Act of 1992 generally prohibits assistance, other than specified support for nonproliferation and disarmament, to the government of Azerbaijan. Subsequent legislation has exempted other types of aid, such as democracy and humanitarian assistance.” (Wikepedia)

I do not know if waiving section 907 entailed assisting Azerbaijan militarily or if so, it would make a difference in the military readiness of Azerbaijan, given that in plain view Azerbaijan has for long being armed by Russia, Turkey, Israel. While we should pursue implementing section 907 and more to assure the safety and security of Armenia, we should not makei it a yardstick to measure the U.S. Government’s relations with Armenia. 

In spite of the fact that section 907 waiver remains in place, I am very appreciative of Samantha Power’s visit to Armenia and for the press conference she had there and the willingness she expressed on behalf of the United States Government to render humanitarian aid to Armenia.

The United States Government has also extended humanitarian aid to Armenia when the newly established Republic of Armenia was in desperate need for humanitarian aid.

I have attached the press conference Samantha Power held in Yerevan on September 25, 2023.

I also  posted my translation of Garo Armenia’s take on the humanitarian aid the United States rendered to Armenia in 1919 when the fledgeling newly established republic confronted famine, including the First Republic’s last prime minister Simon Vratsian’s appreciation of the U.S. humanitarian aid, his commendation and charge to the nation.

SAMANTHA POWER’S CONFERENCE IN YEREVAN ON SEPTEMBER 25, 2023

 

*****

REPUBLIC OF ARMENIA’S ECONOMIC STATUS IN THE BEGINNING OF 1919 and THE U.S. HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE

Prime Minister Hovhannes Kachaznouni and
 the U.S. Food Administration Director and later President Herbert Hoover

The Republic Of Armenia was confronted with a widespread famine during the beginning of 1919. The government’s efforts to secure aid from outside had not resulted in any appreciative quantity of help. The Caucasus was under the occupation of the British forces. It was natural that the government of the Republic of Armenia would have expected that the British would be the first to extend help to ameliorate the dire conditions. The British response was rather passive and largely inadequate. The meager assistance the British provided from their reserves was not enough to make a dent in the prevailing condition.

It was under such circumstances that the government decided to immediately dispatch a delegation to the United States of America headed by the Prime Minister Kachaznouni. But for a long time the British occupying forces hindered the departure of the Armenian delegation. After a long delay, on April 16, the delegation received permission from the British forces to depart. Accompanying the Prime Minister were the Minister of Finance Ardashes Enfeyadjian, economist Haroutiun Pilarian and military officer Souren Melikian.

I quote Simon Vratsian’s testimony

1. “The government’s delegation, the appeals by the government and the support of the Diaspora eventually were heard and aid was quickly dispatched. This time around it was the United States of America, the director of the U.S. Food Administration, Hoover, the one who salvaged Europe after the war, who became the real savior of the people of Armenia. Whatever happens, however we regard America’s role in the Armenian Question, we do not forget nor should we forget the U.S. humanitarian assistance to Armenia and the provisions they provided.   

The first American boat arrived to Batumi on March 21 carrying 125,000 sacks of flour. A week later another shipment of 600,000 sacks of flour arrived. To transport the provision, the American government requested from the Armenian Government 579 train wagons and 14 locomotives at a time when all that the Armenian Government had was 16 locomotives and 520 train wagons. The intervention of the American and the British governments was needed. For four days human traffic over the Armenian rail lines was halted and all facilities were appropriated for the transpiration of the flour only.

With the arrival of the American flour, the famine slowly started receding. The country started to embark on its normal course. The people and the government started to devote themselves towards reconstruction and structuring of the governance.” (Republic of Armenia, 2^ndedition, Lebanon).

This episode of the American humanitarian assistance reveals the precarious state of land locked Armenia. By the current standards of accepted norms for international relations, preventing a government’s delegation seeking humanitarian assistance would be incomprehensible, especially when the delegation’s mission has to do with an ongoing dire humanitarian crisis. Of course the indifference of the British occupying forces towards the prevailing famine in Armenia is totally unacceptable. It is up to the present day historians to shed light on the prevailing real underlying issues.

Garo Armenian 

Note: https://vhapelian.blogspot.com/2019/02/republic-of-armenias-economic-status-in.html

Pashinyan says Armenians should stay in Karabakh

Chronology of events:

August 7, 2023 Davit Ishkhanian elected Artsakh parliament speaker

September 1, 2023, Arayik Harutyunyan resigned.

September 10, 2023, Samvel Shahramanyan elected president. 

September 19, 2023, Ceasefire agreed 

September 20, 2023, Artsakh capitulated

Artsakh Armenians resisted blockade for nine months.

Was the ousting of the populary elected president Arayik Harutyunyan orchestrated for capitulation?

Did the Artsakh officials prepare the population for the imminent capitulation?

Did the Artsakh officials capitulate at the last moment and in haste?

Did the Armenians in Artsakh leave Artsakh in haste and in panic?'

Were they forced out on the threat of genocide, contrary to the PM's claim?

The sudden capitulation and the dismantling of the Artsakh Army will most likely be discussed in the years to come.

 

I copied the attached text from Eurasianet's free weekly newsletter.

Pashinyan says Armenians should stay in Karabakh

The Armenian prime minister said that, while Armenia was prepared to accommodate those leaving Karabakh, they would not be under direct threat if they stayed put, under Azerbaijani rule. 

Fin DePencier Sep 22, 2023 

With the ceasefire in Nagorno-Karabakh falling apart, and no deal between local leaders and the central government in Azerbaijan, the future of Armenians in the region remains precarious. 

While the vast majority of Armenian society, the Armenian foreign minister, as well as international observers are gravely concerned for their security, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan says otherwise. 

"At this moment, our assessment is that there is no direct threat to the civilian population of Nagorno-Karabakh," Pashinyan said in a live address on September 21. 

In a complete contradiction, Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan told a UN Security Council meeting on the same day that "Azerbaijan's intention is to complete the ethnic cleansing of the Armenian population of Nagorno-Karabakh." 

Since March 2021, access to Armenian-administered Nagorno-Karabakh has been tightly controlled by the Russian peacekeepers, making information difficult to verify. But three days after the beginning of Azerbaijan's 2023 offensive, credible reports are starting to emerge of civilian casualties and war crimes. The prime minister's statement triggered widespread outrage and led his critics to repeat their accusations of treason. 

"I believe the PM was talking to the domestic audience and trying to avoid panic in Armenian society, while fighting against Russian state attempts to weaponize the suffering of the Armenians of Artsakh to bring down democratic governance in Armenia. He failed in doing so and even angered many of his own supporters," analyst Eric Hacopian told Eurasianet. 

The timing of the statement, right before the UN Security Council meeting, couldn't have come at a worse time, according to human rights attorney Sheila Paylan. "The statement is puzzling, and also obviously untrue." 

"Perhaps in trying to calm people down, the prime minister thought he needed to make that statement," she told Eurasianet, noting the angry protests on the streets of Yerevan.

As of September 20, the de facto Karabakh authorities were counting 200 people killed and over 400 wounded. The streets of Stepanakert are filled with "displaced people, hungry, scared, and in uncertainty," said Karabakh Human Rights Ombudsman Gegham Stepanyan.

According to Stepanyan, his office has received more than 600 cases of people missing in the region, as of September 22nd. 

"Lack of communication made it almost impossible to find them or find out whether they were killed or not. Residential areas are cut off from each other, people's fates are unknown," former Armenian human rights defender Arman Tatoyan said. There have been reports of a bounty of $500 being placed on the head of a particular Karabakhi Armenian woman on an Azerbaijani Telegram channel. She is to be given to a man named "Murad'' as a birthday present, the alleged Telegram post reads. 

Some Armenians on social media recalled video evidence of atrocities by Azerbaijani troops against female Armenian soldiers during Baku's incursions into Armenian territory in September 2022.

Against this backdrop, many found the prime minister's comment about Armenians not being under threat in Karabakh inexplicably tone-deaf.

He did say in the same remarks, however, that his government was prepared to handle an influx of 40,000 families from Karabakh (which should roughly cover the region's entire population that Armenian sources estimate at 120,000).

So far there has been no sign of Karabakh Armenians leaving through the Lachin corridor, the only route connecting Nagorno-Karabakh to Armenia. Azerbaijan has been tightly restricting and at times completely closing the corridor in one form or another for the past nine months, resulting in acute shortages of food and supplies.  

"It's not opening anytime soon," said journalist Shant Khatcherian, who is standing by on the Armenian side of the border alongside other journalists, NGO representatives and Armenians who have relatives in Karabakh. 

Meanwhile in Armenia, today marks the fourth straight day of protests. Roads have been blocked and dozens of people have been arrested. While the anger against Russia, the European Union, and other international institutions has been palpable, many Armenians are looking closer to home for someone to blame. 

Fin DePencier is a journalist based in Yerevan

Fin DePencier is a Canadian freelance journalist and photographer based in Yerevan.

Sign up for Eurasianet's free weekly newsletter. Support Eurasianet: Help keep our journalism open to all, and influenced by none.

 *****

A year ago today: Would it have made any difference?

Հայերէն բնագիրը կցուած է ներքեւը

“Painful solutions await us; the main problem is the dialogue between the government and the opposition. Ter-Petrosyan”, is my translation of  the title of a September 26, 2022 report, CivilNet posted a year ago today, It was about  an interview president Levon Ter Petrosyan had. Attached is my translation of the report. Vahe H. Apelian 

ARMENIA FACES DIFFICULT AND PAINFUL SOLUTIONS; the main problem is the initiation of a constructive dialogue between the government and the opposition. Levon Ter-Petrosyan, the first president of Armenia, announced this in an interview with "First Channel".

"Hard, painful solutions await us. Contracts should be signed with both Azerbaijan and Turkey. It will not be palatable to anyone. But there comes a moment when there is no alternative. If no document is signed, if peace is not concluded with these two neighbors, we can no longer restore the reality of those 70 years (70 years of Soviet Armenia - ed.). We have to build a new state stone by stone again," he said.

According to Ter-Petrosyan, the main task of the day is the establishment of national unity and the beginning of a constructive dialogue between the government and the opposition. "The majority of the opposition believes that if we can get rid of Pashinyan, then we can avoid painful solutions. This is naive. Whoever comes will sign the same, maybe even worse document," he said.

"We have no information about what actually is going on. Only Nikol Pashinyan possesses that information and knows what Russia offers, what Turkey offers, and what advice the USA is giving. All solutions will be bad for us. I see the problem is to choose the least painful from all those bad solutions. And to understand that we need to have that information, the only owner of which is Pashinyan. Pashinyan is also afraid to sign a document, whatever he signs, they will call him a traitor, a Turk. We even extend our hand to Pashinyan, together we choose the least painful option, thereby we take responsibility upon ourselves. I am ready for that," said the first president.

 

 

Հայաստանին սպասվում են ծանր, ցավոտ լուծումներ, գլխավոր խնդիրը իշխանության ու ընդդիմության միջև կառուցողական երկխոսության սկզբնավորումն է։ Այս մասին «Առաջին ալիքին» տված հարցազրույցում հայտարարել է Հայաստանի առաջին նախագահ Լևոն Տեր-Պետրոսյանը։

 

«Մեզ սպասվում են ծանր, ցավոտ լուծումներ։ Պայմանագրեր պետք է ստորագրվեն և Ադրբեջանի, և Թուրքիայի հետ։ Դա ոչ մեկի քիմքին հաճո չի լինելու, բայց կա մի պահ, երբ այլընտրանք չկա։ Եթե չի ստորագրվում որևէ փաստաթուղթ, եթե հաշտություն չի կնքվում այս երկու հարևանների հետ, մենք այլևս այդ 70 տարվա (Խորհրդային Հայաստանի 70 տարիները – խմբ․) իրողությունը չենք կարող վերականգնել։ Մենք նորից պետք է քարը քարի վրա նոր պետություն կառուցենք»,- ասել է նա։

 

Օրվա գլխավոր խնդիրը, ըստ Տեր-Պետրոսյանի՝ ազգային համախմբման կայացումն է և իշխանության ու ընդդիմության միջև կառուցողական երկխոսության սկզբնավորումը․ «Ընդդիմության մեծագույն մասը կարծում է, որ եթե Փաշինյանից կարողանանք ազատվել, ապա մենք կարող ենք խուսափել ցավոտ լուծումներից, սա միամտություն է։ Ով էլ գա, նույնը, գուցե ավելի վատ փաստաթուղթ է ստորագրելու»,- նշել է նա։

 

«Մենք ինֆորմացիա չունենք, թե իրականում ինչ պրոցես է գնում։ Այդ ինֆորմացիային տիրապետում է միայն Նիկոլ Փաշինյանը, որը գիտի, թե Ռուսաստանն ինչ է առաջարկում, Թուրքիան ինչ է առաջարկում, ԱՄՆ ինչ խորհուրդ է տալիս իրենց։ Բոլոր լուծումներն էլ վատ են լինելու մեզ համար։ Ես տեսնում եմ խնդիր այդ բոլոր վատ լուծումներից ընտրել ամենաքիչ ցավալին։ Իսկ դա հասկանալու համար մենք պետք է տիրապետենք այդ ինֆորմացիային, որի միակ տերը Փաշինյանն է։ Փաշինյանն էլ վախում ստորագրել փաստաթուղթ, ինչ էլ ստորագրի, պետք է ասեն դավաճան, թուրք։ Մենք Փաշինյանին նույնիսկ ձեռք ենք մեկնում, մենք միասին ենք ընտրում այն ամենաքիչ ցավալի տարբերակը, դրանով մենք մեզ վրա պատասխանատվություն ենք ստանձնում։ Ես պատրաստ եմ դրան»,- ասել է առաջին նախագահը։

 

 

The snowball that turned into a fireball

Vahe H. Apelian

Courtesy Kantsasar Newsletter

On August 31, 2023, Sarkis Mahserejian, who is a regular contributor to “Hairenik” weekly, “Azrag’’ daily and other literary magazines, wrote a lengthy article analyzing the situation on the ground, in the Republic of Artsakh and Armenia, from his abode in Los Angeles, he rarely leaves. He titled it “The new snow ball should not melt” - ՆՈՐ ՁԻՒՆԱԳՆԴԱԿԸ ՊԷՏՔ ՉԷ ՀԱԼԻ - where he likened the resignation of the Artsakh president Arayik Harutyunyan to a snowball on a new bright day that would be expected to roll down the hill taking with it, along the president of Artsakh who resigned, the prime minister of Armenia, Nikol Pashinyan, whom the Sarkis Mahserejian regards the culprit of all that threatens the Republic of Armenia. 

This is what Sarkis wrote in the first paragraph of his long article

“The resignation of Artsakh President Araik Harutyunian, which came to light on the last day of August, after a long wait (about a month before the outbreak of the 44-day war), is one of the most important events on the political scene of Armenia since the war and naturally opened the door wide to commentaries and predictions. The resignation was the answer to many issues, but many others remained unanswered.  In other words, this resignation does not yet mean that everything has changed and the horizon has started to brighten, but it does bring a sign for change.”(see note 1)

After expounding on the changes, the resignation of Arayik Harutyunyan brought, Sarkis summed the expected change in the last paragraph of his long expose՛and wrote:

“We consider the public gatherings as of the beginning of September and the movements that have already started in the Diaspora, as practical signs of the renewed springing of the Armenian forces (http://vhapelian.blogspot.com/2023/09/then-and-now-may-2018-and-september.html). These movements should not be abandoned to the fate of those movements that embodied the defense of the homeland. The homeland betraying hands that were selling Artsakh must be stopped. Arayik Harutyunyan's resignation and confessions are practical steps forward. This rolling snowball should not be allowed to melt despite the warm weather. Our people, the whole people, with all their political possibilities and means, should work the snowball grow and return the defense of the motherland to the path of justice. A. Harutyunyan's resignation should serve as a reminder for the criminals themselves, and to the people who “gave them mandate”, who should be placed on the "throne" of the accused.”

President of Artsakh Arayik Harutyunyan and the prime minster of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan appeared to be in sync in their political views. The prime minister of Armenia had disassociated the vanquished and militarily incapacitated Armenia from the Republic of Artsakh and was urging the officials of Artsakh in Stepanakert to negotiate with Baku. But the snowball that Sarkis Mahserejian alluded to, unseated president Arayik Harutyunyan and had Samvel Shahramanyan elected as the president of the Republic of Artskakh, against the warning of Azerbaijan. Davit Ishkhanian, a member of the ARF Bureau, was already elected as the president of the National Assembly of Armenia; presided over the National Assembly voting Samvel as the president of Republic of Artsakh.

Sarkis Mahserejian had urged that the rolling snowball should not melt in the hot weather and that we should see it acquire momentum to roll down to Armenia and presumably unseat the prime minister of Armenia as well. But that did not happen. The snowball turned into a fireball and engulfed the Republic of Artsakh and brought it to ashes and left behind a smoldering mass, and is now rolling down the hill and may engulf Armenia.  

I make a note of this not only because Sarkis Mahserejian, my estranged friend, wrote it, but because ARF affiliated newspapers resonated it in their quest to unseat the democratically elected government of Armenia, whom the citizens of Armenia elected to govern them with their consent.  “Haierenik” weekly made a note that it is the week’s principal article. Not only “Aztag” Daily, but the impoverished Aleppo Armenian community’s “Kanstasar” prelacy affiliated newsletter also published it.

When I was growing up in the midst of ARF related youth organizations, we were educated to remain loyal to the government of our host countries. But we stood against the government of Soviet Armenia government because it was undemocratic and communist and did not represent the will of the Armenian people in Haiastan.

What can I say?  I remain perplexed if not aghast and disturbed when I read such articles in the ARF Diaspora press against the democratically elected government of precious Armenia turned into a precarious Armenia. I also feel that the new leadership of ARF betrayed my youthful ARF education, the tastayaragoutium - դաստիարակութիւն։

*****

Note 1: “Արցախի նախագահ Արայիկ Յարութիւնեանի հրաժարականը, որ երկար սպասումէ ետք լոյս աշխարհ եկաւ Օգոստոսի վերջին օրը (44-օրեայ պատերազմի պայթումէն մօտաւորապէս ամիս մը առաջ), հայութեան քաղաքական բեմի կարեւորագոյն իրադարձութիւններէն մէկն է պատերազմէն ասդին եւ բնականաբար դուռը լայն բացաւ մեկնաբանութիւններու եւ նախատեսութիւններու առջեւ, պատասխան տուաւ շարք մը հարցումներու, սակայն անպատասխան կը մնան մեծ ու փոքր բազմաթիւ հարցումներ: Այլ խօսքով, այս հրաժարականը տակաւին չի նշանակեր, թէ ամէն բան փոխուած է ու հորիզոնը սկսած է պայծառանալ, սակայն կը բերէ նշոյլ մը:”

Note 2: “Սեպտեմբերի սկիզբի հանրահաւաքներն ու Սփիւռքի տարածքին արդէն ճամբայ ելած շարժումները կը դիտենք իբրեւ գործնական նախանշաններ՝ հայութեան ուժերու վերստին լարումին: Այս շարջումներ պէտք չէր մատնուին նախընթաց, հայրենապաշտպանութիւն մարմնաւորող շարժումներու ճակատագիրին: Հայրենադաւ եւ Արցախ վաճառող ձեռքերուն գործունէութիւնը պէտք է վերջ գտնէ: Արայիկ Յարութիւնեանի հրաժարականն ու խոստովանութիւնները գործնական այլ նախընթաց են: Գլորուիլ սկսող այս ձիւնագնդակը՝ պէտք չէ թոյլ տալ, որ հալի, հակառակ տաք եղանակին: 

Մեր ժողովուրդը, ամբո՛ղջ ժողովուրդը, իր քաղաքական բոլոր կարելիութիւններով ու միջոցներով, պէտք է աշխատի ուռճացնել ձիւնագնդակը եւ հայրենիքի պաշտպանութիւնը վերադարձնել արդարութեան ուղիին: Ա. Յարութիւնեանի հրաժարականը պէտք է ուղեցոյց ըլլայ բուն յանցապարտներուն, եւ անոնց «մանտաթ տուած» ժողովո՛ւրդը զանոնք նստեցնէ ամբաստանեալի «գահին»:

 

May 2018 and September 2023 Pictorially

  Vahe H. Apelian

The Velvet Revolution that catapulted change of governance on May 8, 2018 brought the change through the Constitutional Order and through the National Assembly and was led by Nikol Pachinyan.

The September 2023 demonstrations aim to topple the  government by subverting the Constitutional Order and the for National Assembly and are led by shadowy forces with competing agendas.

The choice: Free and independent Republic or not

Vahe H  Apelian

 

I post this blog to enshrine prime minister Nikol Pachinyan’s appeal (see below).

We are at a cross road. 

At this crucial moment of our history, and for the very first time, ideologically I  stand with Nikol Pachinyan as a person, who also happens to be the PM of the Republic of Armenia.

 I stood by him as the PM because the citizens of Armenia elected him in an orderly and transparent election to govern them with their consent. But I cross the threshold now and I stand with him because of what he stands for as a citizen of Republic of Armenia. We either have a free and independent Armenia or not.

We either have a free and independent Republic of Armenia or not.

A free and independent Republic of Armenia that freely relates to all nations in the. East, West, North and South and respects their sovereignty, culture and religion, and expects them that they reciprocate likewise

Many of these nations have also welcomed us in our times of need and given us the opportunity to lead a God given dignified life, without fear of persecution. In this transforming process, we have become a global nation.  

The alternative is for the Republic of Armenia be subject to a state of servitude, at the whims of outside powers. 

Nations in the East, West, North and South need not fear us for, in the words of BaruyrSavag, we are a small nation and…

“If we have enslaved, only with our eyes.

And if we have ruled, only with our books,

If we have prevailed, only with our talents.

And if we have ever oppressed,

It has only been with our wounds.”

May free and independent Armenia long live.

 

Armenian Evangelical College (AEC): A United Nations Security Council Session - 1/2

 Vahe H. Apelian

The attached picture is from my high school days and is taken on the stage in the Armenian Evangelical College social hall, which was in the basement of the Armenian Evangelical Church. The church and the school are in the same campus what is now almost officially designated as West Beirut.

The picture depicts the students of the high school acting the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) session pertaining to the Cyprus issue. I checked on the Internet and found out that in 1964 there were several resolutions, I counted six, pertaining the Cyrus issue that pitted the Greek and the Turkish communities of the Mediterranean island. 

It may very well be that what we had staged had to do with one of the 1964 resolutions because I graduated in 1965 and Ara Manougian who is in the picture graduated in 1964. The wordings of our mock UNSC session were the actual words the delegates had used. They were  copied for us by our history teacher Mr. Zaven Messerlian, who was in charge of the history club and this event may have been a history club activity. Note, I did not use Dr, Zaven Messerlian's academic credential because he was not yet awarded the doctorate degree. 

I remember the staging. I was a delegate along with my other two classmates Ohan Armenian and Vaghenag Tarpinian. My wordings were just a few short sentences. After all I was the Czechoslovakia delegate, and thus did not represent a power country. But if you were to look at my face, you will find it serious and pensive much like the facial expressions of the rest of the students staging the UNSC session about Cyprus. After all, it is an important matter, even though we were mock acting it.

What happened?

Our mock session was well received by the students. We put an act and a show and exited the stage. In real life, something similar happened. The delegates did their parts, put an act and a show and moved on because in 1975 Turkey invaded Cyprus and occupied, I am told, 32% of the Island. Cyprus remains divided. 

Life went on.

In 1976 I left Lebanon as another U.S. immigrant and on my way to the New World, I stayed in Cyprus for a few days waiting for my flight. In Cyprus I looked for and was able to contact one of the two Cypriot students in my pharmacy class. They were Kyriacos Georghiou and Phoebus Stavrides. We addressed them by their last names. I sent word through a pharmacy that I am looking to meet them. Georghiou visited me at the hotel I was staying. He told me that he had lost his house because it fell on the Turkish side of the border in the divided island. I wonder if he still is alive as they were a few years older than the rest of us. They were sent by their government to bring their professional qualifications up to date.

Fast forward 

On September 20, 2023, the former Soviet Union’s Nagorno-Karabakh Oblast capitulated to Azerbaijan. The following day, the UNSC held a meeting. The session was held because “France requested the meeting following a letter sent by Armenia to the president of the Security Council. The letter cited Article 35 (1) of the UN Charter, which states that any UN member state “may bring any dispute, or any situation referred to in Article 34 [that is, one that may lead to international friction or give rise to a dispute] to the attention of the Security Council or of the General Assembly”.

What transpired?

I quote my cousin Dr. Ara Apelian’s comment in a Facebook message to friends. He wrote: 

“I watched the entire UN session on Artsakh. I was amazed as to the number of countries who were represented and each took turn to speak, including Japan, China and the chair was an Albanian representative. I was amazed that ALL of them were so knowledgeable about the details of the suffering of the people of Karabakh and urged immediate humanitarian intervention. But after all the speeches (including Armenia and Azerbaijan and Turkey), the session ended just like that, like watching the news. There was no item on the agenda to take any steps or give any recommendations or any ruling to do anything. Good bye .. thank you all, and they left ….”

In 1964, we students had acted a mock session of UNSC on the stage of the Armenian Evangelical collage and moved on with our lives. It had to do with Cyprus. 

Fifty-nine years later, the real players of the UNSC staged their act on the world stage and moved on. It had to do with Nagorno-Karabakh, the historic Armenian Artsakh

Same o՛, Same o՛ (!)

Or

All the world’s a stage,

And all the men and women merely players;

They have their exits and their entrances………

William Shakespear

Does the Armenian Diplomacy or the Armenian Public....

 Vahe H. Apelian

The attached are my translations of Levon Sharoyan’s posting on his Facebook page during and after the second Artsakh war that started on September 27, 2020 and ended in a ceasefire on November 10, 2020. Almost all Armenians know what transpired since the cessation of the hostility. Artsakh has capitulated and is being depopulated.

It remains for all of us to hold our temper because this war, in the greater scheme of things, has not ended and threatens Armenia, or at least threatens the free and independent state we aspired since the fall of the last Armenian kingdom.

It is imperative to keep law and and order, and help keep law and order in Armenia so that the government can attend to the existential threat Armenia is facing. Whatever has been said below is not gossip but is said by “university professors, high-ranking former officers, retired diplomats, journalists, analysts, party and public figures, "specialists" on Armenian affairs, etc., etc., who respond with an astonishing unanimity and with an effortless consistency echo the official view of the Turkish state that "Armenia is an occupier country and must return Karabakh to Azerbaijan." There is no deviation from this theme and no dissenting opinion. “ 

And the “occupation” of Armenia has not ended with the capitulation of Nagorno-Karabakh, the historic Artsakh, but also more likely will involve Azerbaijan's so called “eastern Azerbaijan”, the historic Syunik where the next phase of the war may very well be, and it may not entail only a corridor but annexation of  Syunik region.

Yes,  it is imperative to keep law and and order in Armenia, and help keep law and order in Armenia. 

I invite readers to read Levon Sharoyan’s postings again, even though I have posted them before.

During the war, on October 22, 2020

 

“Since the first day of this terrible Turanian war that was unleashed against Artsakh and Armenia, for more than three weeks now, I have been following dozens of Turkish stations, day by day. All of them, without exception, simply spread POISON and HATRED against the ARMENIAN PEOPLE.

 These stations invite, for hours on end, university professors, high-ranking former officers, retired diplomats, journalists, analysts, party and public figures, "specialists" on Armenian affairs, etc., etc.,  who respond with an astonishing unanimity and with an effortless consistency echo the official view of the Turkish state that  "Armenia is an occupier country and must return Karabakh to Azerbaijan." There is no deviation from this theme and no dissenting opinion. 

The 80 million population of Turkey listens to these stations and swallows what is presented to them day after day; surely appropriating  the following without further ado, that:

     Throughout history, Armenia has always been an occupier and pre-emptive country.

      Yerevan is Turkish land. At the beginning of the last century, the majority of the population of Yerevan was Turkish Muslim.

     In the 1990s, Armenians carried out horrific massacres of innocent Azeri citizens in Khojaly (Azerbaijan) and went unpunished.

      Armenians not only deported the natives of Karabakh, the Azeris, but also committed a cultural genocide there.

      How dare a poor Armenia, with a population of one and a half million attack neighboring Azerbaijan? The Russians are behind the Armenians

      The state of Armenia is a bandit government. It must be taught such a lesson that it is vanished from the region. We must vanquish the thievish Armenia.

      We negotiated with them for thirty years. The knife cut to the bone. Our Azeri brothers will liberate their ancestral lands and have the red crescent flag fly over them.

      The Armenians make a wild nation. In this region, Armenia is a hotbed of instability and hostility.

      By continually hitting Armenia on the head, Karabakh will be taken away from its hands.

      “Zangezur” is Turkish land. It is necessary to take quick steps to have it as a land bridge between Nakhichevan and Azerbaijan

      It is necessary to restrain the spoiled Armenia. With the support of the West, it has become a plague for the Turkish-speaking peoples of the region.

      The Azeri army did not bomb urban settlements at all. The civilized tradition of the Turkish nation forbids us to do such a thing.  Meanwhile, Armenians continue targeting cities and their innocent residents.

      Pashinyan has become a pathetic figure. To cover up his defeat, he makes statements against Turkey using the myth of "genocide".

      Turkey is with its Azeri brothers to the last point, both on the front line and at the negotiating table.

These many quotes, I think, give an idea of the kind of enemy the Armenian army is fighting.

 

Has anything changed since the days of Abdul Hamid and Talaat?”

***

On November 12, 2020, three days after the cease fire.

 

"As a nation, we live in one of the saddest, most frustrating, and most dangerous periods of our history in the last hundred years. Artsakh is almost emptied of Armenians. It seems it has irreversibly become a foothold for Turks and Azeris. Already everyone knows that during the past weeks, perhaps months, a terrible conspiracy was “cooked” by the Baku-Ankara-Moscow trio and imposed on Armenia on November 10. Turkey and Azerbaijan are jubilant.

About an hour ago (November 12, 2020), the Arabic section of the Turkish state-run broadcaster covered the recent events in Karabakh. The three participants analyzed the situation and clarified Turkey's views, which clearly showed what a long and consistent diplomatic and military efforts Turkey had vested to “swallow” Artsakh. I present to my readers a bunch of confirmations made from the media.

- “Turkey's role in this victory was simply the key. We were the ones who trained the Azeri army. We were the ones who equipped it with modern equipment. We will no longer feel the need to keep this a secret.”

- “In this glorious victory by Azerbaijan, we can say that President Putin also stood by the Azeris. We are thankful for his fair role.”

- “According to the agreement on November 10, in a few days, the Armenian occupation forces will leave the Agdam region forever. Soon 150 thousand former residents of Agdam will return to their homes and thus the region will regain its native Azeri character.”

- “Nakhichevan will take a deep breath henceforth! From now on, Turkey will have a land connection and a bridge with its brother Azerbaijan from Kars and Nakhichevan. This vital corridor will open the way we longed for to reach to our Turkic-speaking countries of Central Asia.”

- “If Armenia tries not to implement the signed agreement, it will be hit very hard on the head with a joint Russian-Turkish fist. Let them have no doubt about this.”

- “Tomorrow, Friday, a large Russian military delegation will arrive in Ankara to discuss with us the details of the unwavering application of the November 10 agreement. Already yesterday, the defense ministers of our two friendly countries signed a memorandum (via an internet meeting), according to which Turkey is setting up a joint monitoring body with Russia to monitor the security situation in Karabakh. We will be allowed to have drones to curb possible illegal movements of the Armenians.” 

- ""Pashinyan will most likely leave his seat. The new Armenian government must be a government "sponsored" by Turkey." (make note what may happen if this government is forcefully brought down.)

- “Karabakh must be rebuilt by Turkish businessmen. We have developed serious programs in this regard. Of course, Karabakh Armenians will also be allowed to come and live there as full citizens of Azerbaijan. They will see that under the auspices of the Azeri state, they will feel much calmer and happier than under the shadow of Yerevan.”

*****

Levon Sharoyan concluded saying:

“I will not continue quoting anymore. Does the Armenian diplomacy or even the Armenian public have lessons to learn from all this, from all that has happened and will happen? »