Author: Harut Sassounian

I just became aware that the Government of Turkey banned Armenian aircraft from overflying its air space as of a year ago. This was disclosed earlier this month by Hetq.am website’s investigative reporter Vahe Sarukhanyan.

I was surprised to hear this news. How could it be that the Turkish government banned Armenian-registered planes from flying over its air space and no Armenian official has bothered to inform the public? Even more surprising, a whole year after Turkey took such a hostile action, particularly during the recent war, the Armenian government did not reciprocate by banning Turkish flights over Armenian territory.

The last Armenian plane Turkey allowed to overfly its skies was on August 29, 2020. Beginning on Sept. 9, 2020, Turkey banned all Armenian flights from its skies. Interestingly, this was shortly before the joint Azeri and Turkish attack on Artsakh. Turkey subsequently rejected Armenian overflight requests on Sept. 18 and 25, 2020 and on March 19 and 23, 2021.

Hetq’s reporter contacted Armenia’s Civil Aviation Committee (CAC) to inquire if Armenia and Turkey had placed restrictions on their mutual airspace during and after last year’s war. “The CAC responded that Turkey has not published any air navigation information (NOTAM) [Notice to Airmen] banning the entry of Armenian-registered aircraft into its skies.” In other words, Turkey refused Armenian overflight rights without registering any formal objection. Thus, Turkey added a ban on air travel to its land blockade of Armenia.

In response to a question from Hetq on whether “Armenia had banned the entry of Turkish national aircraft, and if not, why not, the CAC replied that it has not imposed any restrictions in accordance with Article 9 (b) of the Chicago Convention on International Civil Aviation, stating that every Member State of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) cannot discriminate against the use of its airspace.” This is somewhat incorrect. Article 9(b) states that countries can restrict the use of their air space “on condition that such restriction or prohibition shall be applicable without distinction of nationality to aircraft of all other States.” How is it legal for Turkey to ban Armenian aircrafts and not legal for Armenia to do likewise?

I have been tracking the flight paths of various planes originating from Armenia, Azerbaijan and Turkey on the website “flightradar24.com,” which shows all flights around the world. I have made four interesting observations:

1)    No Armenian-registered plane has flown over the territory of Turkey in the last 12 months as result of the Turkish ban.

2)    Turkish Airlines, however, regularly fly over the Armenian air space on their way to Azerbaijan and beyond.

3)    Turkey does not obstruct the flights of foreign airlines that travel to or from Armenia over Turkey, probably not to trigger a retaliatory ban by the governments of these airlines.

4)    Armenia and Azerbaijan do not travel across each other’s air space even though there has been no formally-registered ban by either country.

Armenia’s Civil Aviation Committee told Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty that it “is not in a position to challenge the Turkish ban in international aviation bodies. The Armenian Foreign Ministry did not clarify whether it has dealt with the matter.” Regrettably, the CAC did not explain why it is not willing to challenge Turkey’s ban of Armenian overflights. This is a major failure by Armenian officials.

Despite the negligent attitude of the Armenian government regarding the protection of Armenia’s national interests, Turkish airplanes, of their own volition, avoided flying over Armenia during the Artsakh War, preferring to carry their soldiers, military equipment and the Islamic Jihadist terrorists to Azerbaijan over the skies of the Republic of Georgia.

There are many such examples of the negligence and incompetence of Armenian officials leading one to wonder if there is a functioning government in Armenia. Two successive Foreign Ministers of Armenia have resigned since last fall. They could not accept the amateurish behavior of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan who unilaterally made all decisions on foreign policy without consulting his Foreign Ministry.

More surprisingly, after Pashinyan’s reappointment as Prime Minister, he has yet to appoint a new Foreign Minister, even though he is required to form the cabinet of ministers within five days of his appointment, a deadline that has passed long ago. The Foreign Ministry’s spokesman clarified that the five-day requirement applies to the appointment of two-thirds of the ministers, not the entire cabinet. However, the spokesman failed to explain why Pashinyan has managed to appoint all the other ministers, but not the Foreign Minister. One would think that, given Armenia’s critical situation after the war, appointing a Foreign Minister would have been one of his top priorities.

Since Pashinyan has ignored the input of the previous two foreign ministers, I suggest that he simply appoint himself as Foreign Minister in addition to being Prime Minister. Furthermore, since the Prime Minister has been running the government single-handedly, he should also get rid of the remaining ministers, establishing a one-man rule. All three branches of the government — executive, legislative and judiciary — are in the hands of the Prime Minister. The President of the country has no decision-making powers. He is a nominal leader, a figurehead. The Parliament, with a majority composed of Pashinyan’s political party, is basically a rubber stamp body which simply carries out his wishes. The judiciary is also under the heavy influence of the Prime Minister. Thus, there is no separation of powers, one of the key tenets of a democratic government.

The Armenian National Committee of Greece sent a letter to the Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias complaining about the Greek Ambassador’s propaganda tour of occupied Shushi, orchestrated by the government of Azerbaijan. The Foreign Minister responded by making lame excuses for the Ambassador’s appalling behavior.

Here is what the ANC of Greece wrote to Foreign Minister Dendias on July 12: “We were surprised but also very upset to learn about the participation of the Ambassador of Greece to Azerbaijan, Mr. Nikolaos Piperigkos, in the provocative celebration organized by the Aliyev regime…. The Armenian National Committee, as well as the Armenian Community of Greece as a whole, express their strong dissatisfaction with the participation of the representative of our country in this parody. You know very well that Azerbaijan, by faithfully copying its mentor [Turkey], is grossly violating the rules of international law. What is the purpose of the support provided by Greece at this critical time?”

Foreign Minister Dendias replied on July 27: “Greece maintains long-standing excellent historical and friendly relations with Armenia. In difficult times for Armenia, Greece stood by the country and its people. I myself visited Yerevan on October 16, 2020, when hostilities in the Nagorno-Karabakh region were still ongoing, sending a message of solidarity. Also, responding to the request of the Armenian organizations in our country with the coordination of the International Development Cooperation Agency of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Greece carried out two humanitarian aid missions (medical supplies and food) on December 12, 2020 and January 8, 2021, displaying practical assistance. At the same time, as is known, Greece has maintained diplomatic relations with Azerbaijan since 1992. After the crisis in bilateral relations [between Azerbaijan and Greece] in autumn 2020, the Greek Ambassador returned to Baku, where in the framework of his duties, he maintains contacts with the country he is accredited to and follows closely local developments. In addition, considering the circumstance of our country’s membership in the European Union, the Embassy coordinates its activities with our partners. For this reason too, the acceptance of the invitation of the Azeri Ministry of Foreign Affairs by the Greek Ambassador, after six negative responses to continuous similar invitations, which were already accepted by other European Embassies, is in no way an endorsement of views or recognition of actions of the host state, much less ‘participating in celebrations.’ It was carried out with the coordination of [EU] Member States with the purpose of on-site observation and recording what was happening to transfer accurate information to the Foreign Ministry.”

Here are the problems with the Foreign Minister’s reply:

1) He does not seem to understand that by appeasing a hostile nation the Ambassador’s actions are undermining Greece’s own interests as well as those of Armenia.

2) Azerbaijan is no friend of Greece. As the Foreign Minister recalled in his letter, last September, during the Greek Ambassador’s presentations of his credentials, Pres. Aliyev told him in an inappropriate and undiplomatic manner: “I can tell you, and it is no secret, that Turkey is not only our friend and partner, but also a brotherly country for us. Without any hesitation whatsoever, we support Turkey and will support it under any circumstances. We support them [Turkey] in all issues, including the issue in the Eastern Mediterranean.”

3) The Foreign Minister stated in his letter that other European countries also accepted the Azeri invitation. He ignored the fact that several other major European countries, including Great Britain, Germany, France, Portugal, Spain and the Czech Republic, in addition to Russia and the United States, refused to participate in the Azeri propaganda tour of Shushi. Greece should have done likewise!

4) The Foreign Minister’s excuse that the Greek Ambassador’s visit to Shushi was to provide on-site observation is ridiculous. The Greek Ambassador was simply duped into participating in a charade orchestrated by Azerbaijan to boast about the occupation and destruction of a historic Armenian region, its people and religious sites in violation of international law.

The Greek Foreign Minister correctly mentioned the friendship between Greece and Armenia. Such friendship, however, must go beyond empty statements. It has to be shown by concrete actions, not mere words.

As I wrote in my previous article, the Greek Foreign Minister must immediately dispatch his Ambassador in Yerevan to Stepanakert, the Capital of the Republic of Artsakh, to atone for his Baku counterpart’s offensive visit to Shushi. If not, the ANC of Greece and the local Armenian community must have an immediate meeting with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, and demand that he immediately fire the Foreign Minister and recall the Ambassador from Azerbaijan.

By obeying the instructions of Pres. Aliyev, the Greek Ambassador betrayed not only Armenia, but also the interests of Greece. Instead of joining ranks with Armenia and other friendly nations against Azerbaijan and Turkey, Greece is alienating its own allies.

I am still waiting for the Prime Minister of Armenia to organize for the foreign Ambassadors stationed in Yerevan a tour of Stepanakert, the Capital of the Republic of Artsakh, to counter the visit to Shushi arranged by Azerbaijan. To do this, however, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan must first appoint a Foreign Minister.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan inaugurated one of the largest mosques in the United States in April 2016. It is officially called the Diyanet Center of America (DCA), a massive complex that is located on 17 acres in Lanham, Maryland, just 15 miles from Washington, DC.

Turkey’s Directorate of Religious Affairs (Diyanet) paid $110 million to cover the expenses of constructing the Diyanet Center of America. The DCA, registered as a non-profit in the United States, has $93 million in assets, according to its latest tax return.

This Center is affiliated with Pres. Erdogan and his ruling political party AKP. DCA’s website states that it “works in full coordination with the [Directorate of] Religious Affairs of the Republic of Turkey (Diyanet)” which receives a huge amount of funding from the Turkish government under the title of “Representation and Promotion Expenses,” an odd category for a religious institution. The Diyanet’s annual budget is $2 billion, exceeding that of most Turkish ministries. It is an official governmental institution that directs 85,000 mosques throughout the country and over 2,000 mosques overseas. It prepares a weekly sermon that must be read by Imams in all mosques inside and outside of Turkey. It imposes odd practices on the Turkish public, such as bans “on feeding dogs at home, celebrating the western New Year, lotteries, and tattoos.” The Diyanet’s Imams are instructed by the government’s intelligence services to monitor the activities of members of the Gulen movement and PKK (Kurdish Workers’ Party). The agency has created multiple Diyanet mosques or field offices in countries such as Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden, United Kingdom, and United States.

According to Ahmet Yayla, a former senior Turkish police officer, the Diyanet now has thousands of affiliated mosques, dozens of schools, and official councilors assigned in 52 countries. It also maintains “faith attachés” in 38 regions globally. The Diyanet maintains the Turkish regime’s monopoly on religion and has become a mouthpiece for the state’s propaganda efforts.

In his article titled, “Erdogan, the Diyanet, and its Field Office near DC,” published in the Providence Magazine, Adam Smith wrote: “In the West, Diyanet institutions also work with proxies and supporters of other Islamist movements supported by Ankara, such as the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood…. The Diyanet also demands full endorsement of Erdogan from its partners and congregants, and propagates the idea that all opponents of the AKP are ‘traitors.’ European governments have noticed the Diyanet’s efforts to enforce loyalty to Ankara among European citizens, with Western officials criticizing Diyanet and AKP efforts to ‘conduct political propaganda in their mosques’” outside Turkey.

According to Smith, “the DCA is the head of 28 other Diyanet branches across the United States. Every one of these 28 branches has a president that is unflinchingly loyal to Erdogan and the AKP.”

In Smith’s opinion, “the DCA must be compelled to register under the Foreign Agents Restriction Act, which regulates agents of influence for foreign nations operating on American soil. Turkish Diyanet officials and imams across the US are working for and advancing the interests of a foreign government without ever having registered as foreign agents….” They “zealously pledge allegiance to the AKP…. Across America, these agents consistently campaign for Erdogan’s agenda and aim to proselyte the Turkish regime’s interests. In addition, DCA officials are increasingly involved in efforts to partner with and influence senior American politicians. Erdogan has acknowledged such outreach, even at one point claiming before an American Islamist audience that the AKP regime has directly supported efforts to elect Muslims in America.”

Furthermore, Smith reported that “other Turkish NGOs and various Islamist proxies also play a major role. For example, agents of Erdogan have reportedly established ‘camouflaged shell’ organizations to create a conduit for a ‘problem-free funds-transfer’ in the US, to lobby politicians and move money. Wikileaks documents reveal one Turkish regime operative in the US stating, ‘with this type of structure, funding regulations and tax barriers that limit lobbying activities in the US will be overcome.’”

Smith also claimed that “there is plenty of other evidence of criminal activity linked to the regime and the Diyanet. For instance, two of many of the regime-linked tax-exempt US front organizations, the Turkish Heritage Organization (THO) and Turkish American National Steering Committee (TASC), were under investigation by the FBI, with leaked emails suggesting the group was conducting espionage operations for Ankara. Nonetheless, all these Turkish proxy groups continue to operate with impunity.”

We have no issue with Islamic mosques or Turkish centers in the United States. However, if it is proven that these non-profit institutions are engaging in political activities and lobbying on behalf of Turkey, the U.S. government should take appropriate legal steps to ensure that they are operating within the law.

The U.S. Department of State declassified on March 24, 2021 a ‘secret’ government cable, under a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request.

The cable described the extensive efforts made by the Clinton administration in late October 2000 to block the vote in the House of Representatives on a resolution to recognize the Armenian Genocide.

As part of its efforts to defeat the resolution, top State Department officials exerted pressure not only on the leadership of the House of Representative, but also, unethically, on Armenia’s top leaders. As if it were not immoral enough to deny the occurrence of the Genocide and undermine its recognition, going much further, the U.S. government tried to enlist leaders of the victimized Armenian nation to support the denial of their own Genocide.

The ‘secret’ cable dated Oct. 16, 2000, described the conversation of high-ranking State Dept. officials with Foreign Minister of Armenia Vartan Oskanian and Armenia’s President Robert Kocharian, a few days before the House vote. The Clinton administration was extremely concerned with the passage of that resolution.

Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert (Republican) had personally pledged, during an earlier meeting with Armenian community leaders in Glendale, California, to bring the resolution to a vote, at the request of Republican Cong. James Rogan who was in a tight race for reelection, in his heavily Armenian-populated district.

Secretary of State Madeleine Albright had sent letters to Speaker Hastert and Democratic Minority Leader Cong. Richard Gephardt objecting to the resolution. A similar letter was sent by Secretary of Defense William Cohen. Meanwhile, Turkish leaders were threatening to disrupt political, economic and military relations with the United States, should the resolution be adopted.

The newly-revealed cable described a phone call between Deputy Secretary of State Strobe Talbott and Oskanian a few days before the scheduled vote in the House. Here is what the cable stated: “Strobe laid out the essential pitch: Want to underscore why we think it’s important to postpone or defeat the resolution; hope you [Oskanian] will support or at least not hinder our efforts to work this on the Hill [Congress]. Strobe emphasized the possibility of violence should the resolution pass and noted all the other negative consequences, such as: events in the Middle east, dangers of Iraqi miscalculation following U.S.-Turkish differences, damage to Nagorno Karabagh process, consequences for Turkey-Armenia relations and vulnerability of Armenians in Turkey…. The position of the Government of Armenia, Strobe emphasized, would be very important.”

Everything Talbott told Oskanian was a lie. Two resolutions on the Armenian Genocide, similar to the pending resolution, had already been adopted by the House in 1975 and 1984. There were no negative consequences as a result of these earlier resolutions. The Turkish threats were empty bluffs as we saw it after the recognition of the Armenian Genocide by Pres. Joe Biden in April 24, 2021. The world did not come to a stop. The more U.S. officials catered to Turkey’s threats, the bolder the Turkish leaders got with their scare tactics.

In addition, Deputy Secretary of State Talbott shamelessly asked Oskanian to support the postponement or defeat of the resolution. The is similar to asking victims to cover up the crimes of their victimizers or asking Israeli leaders for help to defeat a resolution recognizing the Holocaust!

In response, Oskanian told Talbott that he had just spoken with Pres. Kocharian. The cable stated that “the two had agreed it would take something tangible in hand from the Turks to be able to stop the ever-increasing momentum in favor of the resolution. In the absence of that ‘political minimum’ from the Turks, it would be domestic political suicide to stand in the way of congressional passage. The Armenians could, however, agree to simply keep their mouths shut as we worked this on the Hill, he said. In point of fact, he argued, the Government of Armenia’s position has always been that this is a matter of U.S. politics and they have nothing really to do with it.”

In the above statement, Oskanian made two points: one correct and one incorrect. He is right that it would have been “political suicide” for the Armenian government to oppose the congressional resolution on the Armenian Genocide. However, Oskanian is wrong that the adoption of the Armenian Genocide resolution by the House is a matter of U.S. politics and that Armenia has nothing to do with it! How can an Armenian official make such a false statement? The Armenian Genocide is a critical matter for the Armenian government and all Armenians worldwide. Clearly, Oskanian was trying to distance Armenia from this resolution to appease the State Dept. In the meantime, Turkey was doing everything in its power to defeat the Genocide resolution. Turkish officials never stated that this is a matter of domestic U.S. politics!

Talbott then told Oskanian, according to the cable, that the passage of the Genocide resolution would disrupt Armenia-Turkey relations and halt “the whole truth and reconciliation process, which in and of itself was of far greater value to Armenia than the resolution.” This is another lie by Talbott, designed to fool Armenians into “reconciling” with Turkey without recognition of the Genocide and without holding Turkey responsible for the consequences of the Armenian Genocide. Regrettably, this meaningless and fruitless U.S. initiated “reconciliation” effort was formalized a few months later, under the name of “Turkish Armenian Reconciliation Commission.”

The cable then went on to describe the phone call from Stephen Sestanovich to Pres. Kocharian on Oct. 16, 2000. Sestanovich was ambassador-at-large and special adviser to the Secretary of State for the new independent states of the former Soviet Union.

According to the cable, Kocharian told Sestanovich that “the attention and discussion of the issue [of the Armenian Genocide] evoked in Turkey in many circles and the press was a positive development…. Instead of preparing for retaliation, Ankara should simply regard it as a domestic issue U.S. issue.” Sestanovich then tried to scare Pres. Kocharian by saying that the adoption of the Genocide Resolution would endanger Armenia and the Armenian community in Turkey. The U.S. official also predicted unrest and terrorist attacks against Americans in the Middle East.

Kocharian then stated that Armenia was “open to dialog as a tool of reconciliation” with Turkey. But he said he was not “worried about a backlash against Armenia and Armenians in Turkey.” Kocharian correctly noted: “I don’t think that the U.S. needs Turkey nearly as much as Turkey needs the U.S., and nations should not think that they can settle issues through blackmail and threats.”

The cable then mentioned that Kocharian provided three intriguing examples of possible dialog with Turkey without going into any details:

1) “An Armenian-Turkish businessman had recently suggested to him an idea for such dialog that could be acceptable.”

2) “Kocharian also had considered writing a letter to the President of Turkey expressing concern, but did not want to act on anything until the situation settled down somewhat.”

3)  Kocharian “pointed to Turkish-Armenian business interactions, including the planned privatization of a textile plant in Gyumri to a Turkish investor (Netex Textile), [as well as] University and NGO exchanges.”

The cable also stated that “in the long run, Kocharian concluded, Armenia cannot build normal relations with Turkey without addressing the Genocide.”

The vote on the Armenian Genocide resolution in the House was cancelled by Speaker Hastert at the last minute on Oct. 19, 2000, using as an excuse a letter from Pres. Bill Clinton urging him “in the strongest terms” not to bring it to a vote.

Not surprisingly, after retiring from the House, both Hastert and Gephardt were hired by Turkey as paid lobbyists in Washington. Subsequently, Hastert was convicted and jailed for bank fraud to cover up his sexual abuse of young boys. He was also accused of receiving bribes and illegal campaign contributions from Turks to prevent the adoption of the Armenian Genocide resolution.

Clinton was a shameful president who broke his promise to recognize the Armenian Genocide. In addition to Clinton, Presidents George Bush, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama also broke their promises. Even though Pres. Trump had not promised to recognize the Armenian Genocide, he too did not acknowledge it. All of their names should be etched in a public “Wall of Shame.”

A scandalous propaganda tour was organized on July 9-10, 2021 by Azerbaijan’s despotic government to occupied Shushi and Hadrut to display “proudly” to foreign ambassadors its barbaric attack on the civilian population of Artsakh and partial destruction of one of its most sacred Armenian cathedrals.

Before I present the list of ambassadors of countries that exposed their hostility to Armenia by participating in this tour, it is important to note that the ambassadors of France, Russia, and the United States, who are members of the Minsk Group of mediators of the Artsakh conflict, refused to take part in this charade to the chagrin of the Azeri government. The Minsk Group thus indicated that it had no interest in Azerbaijan’s pompous show of its occupation of parts of Artsakh. Contrary to the repeated statements of Pres. Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan, the Minsk Group still considers the status of Artsakh not resolved. The absence of these three major countries from this propaganda tour is a slap in the face of the Azeri government.

The 46 countries that shamelessly participated in this scandalous tour of the city of Shushi are: Afghanistan, Algeria, Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Chile, China, Colombia, Croatia, Estonia, Georgia, Greece, Hungary, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Libya, Lithuania, Malaysia, Mexico, Morocco, the Netherlands, Pakistan, Palestine, Poland, Qatar, Romania, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, Slovakia, South Korea, Sudan, Sweden, Switzerland, Tajikistan, Turkey, UAE, Ukraine and Venezuela. There are 63 foreign embassies in Azerbaijan, which means that 17 ambassadors refused to participate in the propaganda tour, including Argentina, Cuba, Egypt, Germany, Great Britain, and India, in addition to France, Russia and the United States.

The countries that took part in the Azeri tour should be severely criticized and condemned by all Armenians. Furthermore, the Armenian communities who live in these countries should express their strong disapproval. Demonstrations must be organized in front of the embassies of those countries in Yerevan and protest letters sent to their respective governments.

Of course, the most shameful participant in this tour is the ambassador of Greece, a country that is supposed to be a friend of Armenia. In addition to betraying Armenia, Greece violated its own interests and principles by taking part in this scandalous tour. The Greek ambassador must have forgotten that during the height of the Artsakh war last year, the Foreign Minister of Greece visited Yerevan to show his country’s solidarity with Armenia. He also forgot the insulting and undiplomatic words Pres. Aliyev used to address him during the presentation of his credentials in Baku.

I am pleased that the Greek media and Armenian community of Greece responded harshly to the country’s ambassador’s disastrous visit to Shushi and called on the Greek Foreign Minister to appear in Parliament to provide an explanation. It is not known if the Greek ambassador in Baku obtained the approval of his government prior to his tour of Shushi. If he did, that makes it an even bigger scandal. However, if the Greek Ambassador had not secured his country’s approval prior to his visit to Shushi, which is unlikely, then he should be immediately fired!

Rather than showing gratitude to Greece, Azerbaijan disrespected its submissive action by sending its first parliamentary delegation to the Turkish-occupied so-called Republic of Northern Cyprus, recognized only by Turkey. There are reports that Azerbaijan may soon recognize the statehood of Northern Cyprus. If that happens, Greece should immediately dispatch its ambassador in Yerevan to Stepanakert, the capital of Artsakh, and announce its recognition of the Republic of Artsakh. This would be the only way that Greece can atone for its envoy’s indiscretion and deliver a proper response to Azerbaijan’s recognition of Northern Cyprus.

In addition to the Armenian National Committee of Greece’s complaint, the ANC’s of Belgium and the Netherlands filed similar complaints with their respective governments. Protests should also be made to the other participating countries, particularly the governments of Austria, Brazil, Bulgaria, Estonia, Georgia, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Italy, Jordan, Latvia, Lithuania, Mexico, Poland, Qatar, Romania, Serbia, Sweden, Switzerland, UAE, Ukraine and Venezuela.

I am pleased that the Foreign Ministries of Armenia and Artsakh issued statements condemning the visit of the foreign ambassadors in Baku to Shushi: “The Republic of Armenia considers utterly unacceptable the visit of diplomatic representatives accredited in Azerbaijan to the occupied territories of Artsakh, including Hadrut and the historical center of Artsakh — Shushi, regions which were ethnically cleansed and their population was the subject of war crimes and other mass atrocities committed by Azerbaijani armed forces during the recent aggression.” It was emphasized that by arranging such events “the Azerbaijani authorities are trying to legitimize the aggression against the people of Artsakh and to strengthen their own claims of having resolved the conflict by force,” stated the Armenian Foreign Ministry which also handed these ambassadors a “note verbale” or a note of protest addressed to their governments.

Rather than visiting the occupied territories of Artsakh, the foreign ambassadors in Baku should have issued a joint statement condemning Azerbaijan for importing Syrian terrorists to fight in the Artsakh war, committing war crimes, ethnic cleansing, destruction of Armenian religious and historical monuments, and continuing to hold captive Armenian prisoners of war 10 months after the end of the conflict in violation of international law and the agreement signed by the heads of Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Russia on Nov. 9, 2020.

At every opportunity, citizens of Armenia should remind the foreign ambassadors accredited to Yerevan the inacceptable participation of their colleagues in Azerbaijan in the Shushi tour. Similarly, Armenians living in the offending ambassadors’ countries should express their displeasure to their governments. By continuing to complain about this visit, Armenians will ensure that these countries and their ambassadors in Azerbaijan will think twice before they agree to participate in other propaganda activities on behalf of Azerbaijan.

The only proper response to Azerbaijan’s PR actions is for the Armenian government to organize a tour of Stepanakert, Artsakh, for the foreign ambassadors accredited to Yerevan. Will the Armenian government dare to make such a move and will it succeed in carrying it out? However, before embarking on such an initiative, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan must fill the post of foreign minister which has been vacant for two months.

Several Azeri websites claimed that Armenians in Azerbaijan sent last October, in the midst of the Artsakh War, an appeal to “Catholicos Karekin II, Armenians of the world, and Armenians in Karabagh.”

One of the Azeri websites (Report News Agency) alleged that the “appeal was signed by a group of tens of thousands of Armenians” in Azerbaijan. Just from this one sentence alone, one can tell that this information is a complete lie as there are no “tens of thousands of Armenians” in Baku. After the brutal massacres of Armenians in Sumgait and Baku and elsewhere in Azerbaijan in 1988 and 1990 by Azeri mobs, almost all Armenians fled that country to save their lives. The few Armenians remaining in Azerbaijan are those who were married to Azeris. Living in constant fear, they use Azeri names to disguise their true identities.

I made two attempts to verify if this letter was authentic or fake. First, I checked with one of the Azeri websites that had referenced the letter. I asked for a photocopy of the letter. I wanted to see how many signers there were and their names. The Azeri website, most probably funded by the Azeri government, responded that they are unable “to conduct painstaking investigation!” The only place where the entire text of the fake letter appeared was in an Azeri website (Armenia.az) that regularly posts hundreds of anti-Armenian articles in Armenian and Russian. These articles are written by Azeris who formerly lived in Armenia and know fluent Armenian.

My next attempt to verify the letter was with the Information Department of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin in Armenia, the alleged recipient. The Catholicosate was not aware of receiving such a letter and stated that it was most probably an example of Baku’s routine fabrication.

For the amusement of the readers here are excerpts from the English translation of the fake Armenian letter posted on October 9, 2020 on the Azeri website, Armenia.az.

“Today, tens of thousands of Armenians live in Azerbaijan. In this country, all people, regardless of religion or race, are treated equally. Everyone in this country enjoys the same rights granted to its citizens by the Constitution of Azerbaijan.” In this first two sentences of the letter, there are two obvious lies: “tens of thousands of Armenians live in Azerbaijan” and they “are treated equally” like all other citizens of Azerbaijan.

The alleged Armenian letter-writers appealed to Catholicos Karekin II to use his “authority and power… to end Armenia’s policy of occupation against Azerbaijan, return the occupied Azerbaijani lands to their owners, and help prevent unjust bloodshed.” No true Armenian would make such a statement, unless his or her life was threatened.

The letter then appealed “to Armenians of the world and various Armenian lobbies so people can live in peace,” claiming that an Armenian woman by the name of Karina Grigoryan in Ganja, Azerbaijan (Gandzak in Armenian), was seriously injured during the Armenian shelling. It is highly unlikely that such an Armenian woman lives in Gandzak. One thing is certain; no Armenian in Azerbaijan would be carrying such an obvious Armenian name. Those with Armenian names who lived in Azerbaijan were either killed or fled the country over 30 years ago.

The letter went on to claim that Azerbaijan “conducts anti-terrorist operations only in its territories, wishing to liberate its historical lands from occupation.” It is the height of hypocrisy for Azerbaijan to claim that it is fighting terrorism after bringing several thousand Syrian Islamist terrorists to fight against Artsakh in last year’s war.

The letter then appealed to “Armenians living in Karabagh” (Artsakh), falsely alleging that “30 years ago, you were happy in the lands of Azerbaijan, where you live now. Your material well-being was high, and all your human rights were protected, because Azerbaijan has always treated us as its citizens. And now the mafia leadership of Armenia has turned you into a victim of its own games. We are very sorry about this. You also have the right and the opportunity to live like a human being, but Armenia has deprived you of this. Wake up, it’s not too late and refuse to be a tool in this game. Azerbaijan will protect all your rights, including your safety. We are a clear example of this.” The content of the letter reads more like a comedy than a credible appeal. Those who concocted this letter are so delusional that they think Armenians will believe such obvious lies.

The letter finally appealed to Armenian mothers: “Do not close your eyes to the death of your children in the lands of Azerbaijan, because you did not bring them into the world to become victims of the game of certain forces.” It is very touching that the Azeri Government, masquerading as Armenians in Baku, would care so much about the well-being of Armenian mothers and their children!

The only good thing about this appeal is that the government of Azerbaijan is wasting a lot of money to pay Azeris, who would otherwise be unemployed, to prepare such useless letters and websites. No Armenian is going to believe a word of such fake news appearing in the website of Armenia.az (az stands for Azerbaijan). I suggest that the government of Azerbaijan also establish a TV and radio station to broadcast programs in Armenian in order to waste more of the money that their leaders have not yet stolen!

I do not think this was a real appeal issued by Baku Armenians. However, even if there is a shred of truth in the claimed letter, it means that Azerbaijan has adopted the Turkish policy of forcing its Armenian and other minorities to issue false propaganda statements in order to cover up its grave violation of human rights.