Category: Authors

Pres. Trump Loses Reelection;Our Four-Year Nightmare is Over

After months of acrimonious debate and nasty disputes, the election is finally over. Trump supporters were 100% sure that he will be reelected. I advised everyone not to be so cocky about their predictions so that they would not be embarrassed if they turn out to be wrong.

Now comes the second chapter of the false prediction. Trump supporters, following the lead of the President, are refusing to acknowledge the results of the election. In the last few days, we have come across all kinds of crazy conspiracy theories questioning the outcome of the election. How can anyone be so gullible to believe such fraudulent claims? As expected, Trump is refusing to concede and leave his office gracefully. Trump is a sore loser. While it is true that the courts will determine the validity of these false claims, not a shred of credible evidence has been presented to question the results of the election. Just about every sensible person has acknowledged the victory of Joe Biden and the defeat of Pres. Donald Trump. Even former President George W. Bush, a Republican, congratulated President-elect Biden. Many leaders around the world have also congratulated Joe Biden.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan was among the first to congratulate Biden. Here is Pashinyan’s important message:

“I am convinced that the wealth of experience and wisdom that you gained through your distinguished career in politics and legislature will guide you well, as you lead the United States and its people on the path toward continued progress and prosperity. Throughout your service, you have made great contributions to the strengthening of the U.S.-Armenia friendship and mutually beneficial relationship. The Armenian people appreciate your principled stance on the recognition of the Armenian Genocide, and your support for the pursuit of their fundamental rights. Bilateral relations between Armenia and the United States are built on shared democratic values. I am convinced that our cooperation will continue to flourish during your presidency, consistent with the level of the strategic dialogue that underlies the relationship between our two nations. That process, of course, benefits from the invaluable role that the Armenian American community plays, acting as a bridge between our countries. Armenia deeply values the role the United States plays in the peaceful resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, as a Co-Chair of the OSCE Minsk Group. As you are aware, for over a month now, Azerbaijan and Turkey with the use of foreign terrorists have been fighting a war of aggression against Armenia and Artsakh in defiance of all efforts of the Co-Chairs to establish ceasefire. As a candidate you have laid out a vision for the resolution of the conflict exclusively through peaceful means. I salute that vision. I am hopeful that your Administration will take active steps to stop the war and bring about a comprehensive settlement of the conflict based on safeguards providing for the security of the people of Artsakh through the exercise of its right to self-determination….”

Without raising any hopes of what Pres. Biden might or might not do for Armenians after taking office in January, one thing is clear: Trump had to go. He has been a nightmare for most Americans and the rest of the world. He has violated scores of laws promising his advisors to pardon them should they get charged. He has lied close to 25,000 times in four years — a record for anyone, let alone a President. He has said the most ignorant and childish things undermining the dignity of the Presidency and the reputation of the United States in the world. The reason he is fighting so hard to stay in office is because he knows he will be charged when he is no longer President.

In the 2016 elections, Trump got three million less votes than Hillary Clinton. The Electoral College saved him from defeat. In 2020, Trump received 4.5 million less votes than Biden. This time around Trump also lost the Electoral College.

In January, Pres. Biden’s first order of business on day one will be to reverse the dozens of Trump’s Executive Orders. Some were ruled illegal by the courts others will be reversed by Pres. Biden who will reinstate the Paris Climate Accords, rejoin the World Health Organization, and restore the international treaties that Pres. Trump undermined and violated.

On Armenian issues, Pres. Biden has pledged to acknowledge the Armenian Genocide in several campaign statements. That remains to be seen. One thing is clear, Biden has been highly outspoken against Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan who has been a close friend of Pres. Trump. All one has to do is follow the Turkish press where there are multiple alarming articles about the Presidency of Biden which would end the love affair between Trump and Erdogan. Trump has acknowledged that he has a conflict of interest with Turkey because there are two buildings in Istanbul that bear his name and for which he receives millions of dollars of royalties every year.

In recent months a video a surfaced of Biden’s interview with The New York Times in which he used very strong language against Erdogan, angering the Turkish leadership. Here is what Biden said:

“I’ve spent a lot of time with him [Pres. Erdogan of Turkey]. He is an autocrat. He’s the president of Turkey and a lot more. What I think we should be doing is taking a very different approach to him now, making it clear that we support opposition leadership. Making it clear that we are in a position where we have a way which was working for a while to integrate the Kurdish population who wanted to participate in the process in their parliament, etc. Because we have to speak out about what we in fact think is wrong. He has to pay a price for whether or not we’re going to continue to sell certain weapons to him. In fact, if he has the [Russian] air defense system that they’re flying F-15s through to see how they can try to figure out how to do it.”

Biden went on: “So I’m very concerned about it. But I’m still of the view that if we were to engage more directly like I was doing with them, that we can support those elements of the Turkish leadership that still exist and get more from them and embolden them to be able to take on and defeat Erdogan. Not by a coup, not by a coup, but by the electoral process. He got blown out. He got blown out in Istanbul [during the mayoral elections]. He got blown out in his party. So what do we do now? We just sit there, and yielded. And the last thing I would’ve done is yielded to him with regard to the Kurds. The absolute last thing!”

Biden concluded: “I had a couple of those meetings with him about the Kurds, and they did not clamp down at the time. We have to make it clear that if they’re looking to, because, at the end of the day, Turkey doesn’t want to have to rely on Russia. They’ve had a bite out of that apple a long time ago. But they got to understand that we’re not going to continue to play with them the way we have. So I am very concerned. I’m very concerned about our airfields [in Turkey] and access to them as well. And I think it takes an awful lot of work for us to be able to get together with our allies in the region and deal with how we isolate his actions in the region, particularly in the Eastern Mediterranean in relating to oil and a whole range of other things which take too long to go into. But the answer is yes, I’m worried.”

Biden has made several similar statements against Erdogan and Turkey. We now need to ensure that he keeps his words.

It is important now to unify the people of the United States. Biden has pledged to be the President of all Americans including those who did not vote for him.

After this divisive election, the Armenian American community has to come together and help defend Armenia and Artsakh against Azerbaijan, Turkey and their mercenary terrorists in Artsakh!

November 10, 2020
Putin Finally Reveals His Solution to the Artsakh Conflict

Publisher
The California Courier

After Russian President Vladimir Putin attempted and failed to establish a ceasefire between Armenia and Azerbaijan, Armenians around the world have been wondering why is he so reluctant to intervene more forcefully in the Artsakh War and stop the bloodshed.

There have been many speculations about Putin’s unexpected hands off approach to the Artsakh conflict, including several conspiracy theories which are not worth mentioning.

During an interview with a Western journalist last week, Putin finally revealed his plans to resolve the Artsakh conflict.

This is what Putin stated: “You said that Russia has always had special ties with Armenia. But we have always had special relations with Azerbaijan too. More than two million Armenians and about two million Azerbaijanis live in Russia. These are not only those people who came for temporary work, but also those who live here almost permanently. Working in Russia, they send billions of dollars to support their families. All these people have very stable, close ties in Russia at the humanitarian level, interpersonal, business, family. Therefore, for us, both Armenia and Azerbaijan are equal partners. And it is a great tragedy for us when people die there. We want to build full-fledged relations with both Armenia and Azerbaijan. In each case of building relations with each of these countries there is something that distinguishes our relationship with another partner. Well, with Armenia this is Christianity. But we have very close ties with Azerbaijan in other areas as well. As for the religious component, I want to draw your attention to the fact that almost 15 percent of the population of the Russian Federation is Muslim. And even in this sense, Azerbaijan is not a foreign country for us. But what we definitely cannot forget is what happened in the fate of the Armenian people, the Armenian nation, during the First World War; a huge tragedy for the Armenian people. This is the second part. The third is that this conflict began just as an interstate conflict and a struggle for territories. It began as an ethnic confrontation. It is also unfortunately, a fact when in Sumgait [Azerbaijan], and then in Nagorno Karabagh, cruel crimes were committed against the Armenian people. We must take all this into account in a complex. At the same time, we understand that a situation in which a significant part of the territory of Azerbaijan has been lost by the country cannot last forever. Over the course of many, many years, we have proposed a variety of options for resolving this crisis in order to stabilize the situation for a long historical perspective. I will not go into details now, but believe me, it was hard work to bring the positions closer together. At some moments, it seemed that a little more, a little more, one more step, and we would find a solution. Unfortunately, this did not happen and today we have a conflict in its worst form. And the tragedy is that people are dying. You know, there are many losses on both sides. According to our information, there are more than two thousand dead on each side. The total death toll is already approaching five thousand. I draw your attention to the fact that 13,000 Soviet soldiers died in the 10 years of the war in Afghanistan. And in Karabagh, in such a short period of time, almost five thousand people have already died. How many were injured! How many people are suffering, how many children! Therefore, this is a special situation for us. Yes, the Minsk Group was created in 1992. Russia, France, and the United States as co-chairs, we are responsible for organizing this negotiating process. It is clear, I am 100 percent sure here that all participants in this process sincerely strive for the situation to be resolved. However, no one is as interested in this as Russia. This is happening in a broad sense with our people with our friends, with our relatives. Therefore, we take a position that would allow us to enjoy the trust of both sides and play an essential role as mediators in the settlement of this conflict to bring their positions closer. I would very much like this compromise to be found. As you know, I am in very close contact with both President Aliyev and Prime Minister Pashinyan. I talk to them on the phone several times a day. Our foreign ministers, defense ministers, heads of special services are in constant contact. You know the foreign ministers of both countries came to visit us. They met in Washington on October 23rd. I very much hope that our American partners will act in unison with us and help the settlement. Let us hope for the best.”

I transcribed this lengthy translation of Putin’s remarks without any omission in order to provide the full context of his statement.

Obviously, Armenians are not happy with Pres. Putin equating with Armenia Russia’s relationship with Azerbaijan. Armenia is a strategic ally of Russia with a mutual defense treaty and with a Russian military base located on its territory. Azerbaijan, on the other hand, is a puppet of Turkey and has taken many steps to undermine Russia’s geopolitical interests, such as the Azeri gas and oil pipelines that reduce the need for Russian oil in Europe.

Furthermore, the involvement of the Turkish military on Azerbaijan’s territory, a part of the Russian sphere of influence, undermines Russia’s interests. Even more alarming is Turkey’s recruitment of Syrian terrorists and their transfer to Azerbaijan to fight against Artsakh. This is an obvious danger to the national security of Russia. Putin did not mention the nefarious role of these terrorists.

The Russian government has made it clear, however, that the mutual defense treaty with Armenia only applies in case of a foreign attack on the Republic of Armenia, which excludes the territory of Artsakh, even though there have been several missile attacks on Armenia’s mainland.

Russia, on the other hand, has other interests with Turkey that it takes into consideration. These are:

— Russia’s attempts in recent years to win over and separate Turkey from NATO.

— Multi-billion trade between Russia and Turkey with Turkey’s purchase of the Russian S-400 missiles and the planned construction of a Russian nuclear power plant in Turkey.

— Russia’s unwillingness to go to war against Azerbaijan and Turkey to protect Artsakh.

— Russia and Turkey have conflicting interests in Syria and Libya where they have an uneasy understanding. The Artsakh conflict would place further pressure on the Russian-Turkish relationship should Russia become actively involved in the Artsakh war against Azerbaijan and Turkey.

Most significantly, as Putin said in his above quoted statement: “a situation in which a significant part of the territory of Azerbaijan has been lost by the country cannot last forever.” In other words, Putin implies that he is willing to accept that Azerbaijan militarily reoccupies the seven regions surrounding Artsakh and then negotiate the settlement of the final status of Artsakh. This is totally unacceptable for Armenia and Artsakh. It is imperative to counter the military moves of Azerbaijan and Turkey in order not to allow them to create new facts on the ground which would weaken Armenia’s bargaining position. Furthermore, the loss of the territories surrounding Artsakh — the buffer zone — would further threaten the existence of Artsakh.

Even more alarming, Putin announced that “many countries, including Turkey and a host of European states” should work together to find a consensus. Armenia and Artsakh would categorically reject Turkey’s involvement. How could Turkey, the instigator of the war, be considered a neutral mediator?

Armenians are somewhat reassured that in recent days, various Russian officials have confirmed Russia’s treaty obligation to defend the territory of the Republic of Armenia from any attacks by Azerbaijan or Turkey.

Armenia and Artsakh have difficult days ahead, left all alone to their fate. Only a resolute defense will safeguard the Armenian population of Artsakh.

November 3, 2020
Azeri Soldiers Wearing Armenian Uniforms May Be Shot by Their Own Troops

The U.S. Department of State announced on Oct.25, 2020 with great fanfare the third attempted ceasefire in the Artsakh war in as many weeks. The first two ceasefires were violated by Azerbaijan and Turkey within minutes of going into effect. The new ceasefire announcement was made after the foreign ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan flew to Washington, D.C. and separately met with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Oct. 23, 2020.

This latest “humanitarian ceasefire” went into effect on Monday, Oct. 26, at 8 a.m., local time. Unfortunately, the third ceasefire was also violated within minutes by Azerbaijan and Turkey. This indicates that Azerbaijan, Turkey and the Jihadist mercenaries from Syria have no intention to stop the war until they cleanse Artsakh of its Armenian population which is exactly what President Ilham Aliyev has repeatedly announced. Armenia and Artsakh, with a population of a little over three million, are fighting against the combined forces of Azerbaijan and Turkey with a total population of over 90 million. This is a battle of David versus Goliath. It also means that the powerful Azerbaijani military, armed to its teeth with billions of dollars of modern weaponry from Israel and Russia, is unable to fight its battles without relying on the Turkish military and Islamist mercenaries. Even with their combined forces, Azerbaijan and Turkey have been unable to overrun Artsakh after a month-long battle!

In recent weeks, Pres. Trump has mentioned Armenians three times in his speeches during campaign rallies in Nevada, Ohio and New Hampshire. He made complimentary statements about Armenians, but words are meaningless unless they are followed up with action. All Trump has to do is pick up the phone and call his buddy Erdogan and tell him to stop supporting Azerbaijan and withdraw the terrorists it recruited and transferred to Azerbaijan. Instead, Trump has done what is in his personal interest which primarily includes getting reelected on Nov. 3 by appealing to Armenian-American voters.

Besides military action, there are other fronts in which Armenians and Azeris are battling each other. In the United States, several resolutions have been submitted to the House of Representatives and the Senate to recognize the independence of Artsakh and ban the sale of weapons to Azerbaijan and Turkey. Similar steps have been taken by Armenian communities in Canada, France and Australia, among others. There have also been mass protests by Armenian communities in cities throughout the U.S., Canada, Australia, the Middle East and Europe.

Armenian-Americans and elected officials pressured various lobbying firms hired by Azerbaijan and Turkey to stop their propaganda efforts. Last week, Mercury Public Affairs announced that it terminated its lobbying contract with Turkey. Mercury has represented Turkey since 2013. In February of this year, Mercury signed a contract for $1 million to represent the Turkish Embassy. The Los Angeles City Council had urged Mercury to end its contract with Turkey or it will no longer do any business with the firm. A similar announcement was made by the Los Angeles Community College District.

DLA Piper, another major lobbying firm, informed the U.S. Justice Department that it no longer represents Azerbaijan Railways. The Livingston Group also ended its lobbying for Azerbaijan on Oct. 13. The BGR lobbying firm withdrew from representing Azerbaijan’s state oil company SOCAR, according to AHVAL News.

Armenia on the other hand has never hired lobbying or public relations firms. The rare example was the Armenian government signing a lobbying contract with the law firm of Alston & Bird (associated with former Senator Bob Dole) for $10,000 from Sept. 15 to Oct. 14, 2020. It is not known if that contract was extended. While hiring lobbying or public relations firms is always helpful, the Armenian community is not as dependent on them since they are politically active and rely on their own organizations in Washington, such as the Armenian Assembly of America and the Armenian National Committee of America. On the other hand, Azerbaijan and Turkey are obligated to spend millions of dollars for lobbying to try and misrepresent their dirty laundry as clean.

Another aspect of the misinformation war is the one waged in the pages of newspapers and social media in various countries. The Azeri government pays a fortune each year to hired pens to besmirch Armenia and glorify the dictatorship of Azerbaijan. The other front is the social media. Whenever, a prominent American or European announces its public stand in favor of Armenia, a horde of Azeris and their paid agents hound those individuals and pressure them to retract their statements.

There have been several reports in recent days that Azeri troops are wearing the uniforms of Armenian soldiers apparently to create confusion in the battlefield. In one such battle, it was discovered that 40 Azeri soldiers’ bodies were found in Armenian uniform. In my opinion, this practice, rather than confusing Armenians, will result in Azeris shooting their own soldiers by mistaking them for Armenians.

The Armenian government should file a complaint with the International Criminal Court (ICC) about the barbaric behavior of Azeri soldiers. In one video, two Armenian prisoners of war are shot dead by Azeri soldiers. In another, the head of a dead Armenian soldier is cut off by Azeri soldiers. In a third gruesome video, Azeri soldiers are seen skinning an Armenian soldier while he is still alive. These are clear cases of war crimes. Azerbaijan should be condemned by the ICC and bear responsibility for these inhuman actions. In addition, Azerbaijan uses cluster bombs which are prohibited by international humanitarian law. Moreover, Azerbaijan has fired on a daily basis thousands of missiles on civilians throughout Artsakh cities and villages. Azerbaijan has also destroyed hundreds of Armenian houses, schools and churches. These are blatant war crimes. Azerbaijan should pay a heavy price for its barbaric behavior.

On the positive side, 10 million Armenians worldwide have been united as never before. Every Armenian realizes that this is an existential struggle. Turkey and Azerbaijan intend to commit a second genocide against Armenians. So far, Armenians have raised the unprecedented sum of $150 million and millions more in humanitarian aid. The only thing missing is for an Armenian billionaire to make a billion dollar donation to support the survival of Armenia and Artsakh. After all, it costs Armenia $30 million a day to meet its security needs.

October 27, 2020
I am Voting for Biden… to End the Trump Nightmare

Along with the rest of the world and tens of millions of Americans I am hoping that the nightmare called Trump will be over on November 3.

Fortunately, Trump just announced that if he loses the election, he will leave the United States. That is the best thing he has said in four years! He probably is worried that he will go to jail after he loses the election for the multiple crimes he has committed both during and after holding office. The only problem is which country would be willing to give him refuge; maybe Turkey or Azerbaijan. Or maybe Israel.

I know that some Armenians will not be happy with my position. But I have always strongly expressed my point of view as honestly as I could. I sincerely believe that Trump has been a menace to the United States and the world! Hopefully, with Trump’s defeat on Nov. 3, we will all breathe a big sigh of relief. We will once again live in a free democratic country without the fear of a dictator ruining our health and our lives.

There are not enough negative words in the dictionary to describe all the wrong things Trump has said and done in the past four years. This must come to a stop. It will take a long time for the next U.S. President to undo the damage that Trump has done to America and the world.

The Washington Post meticulously kept track of Trump’s lies and exaggerations. As of May 2020, Trump has lied over 20,000 times since becoming President. He is a serial liar. You cannot trust a word he says. He says one thing in the morning and the opposite in the evening. When confronted, he says he did not say it, even when it is proven by a tape recording of his own voice. He said in a speech in 2018: don’t believe what you are reading or what you are seeing! In other words, ignore the facts and trust his lies.

The only thing you can trust is that Trump will do what is in his self-interest. As President he has directed business to his hotels and golf courses around the world. He owes $400 million to unknown individuals and entities, but will not reveal their names. Could it be that some of the dictators he embraces are the ones that lent him these funds. And that could be the reason, among others, why Trump adamantly refuses to make his tax returns public.

Turning to the coronavirus pandemic, Trump’s incompetence and ignorance has caused the deaths of over 220,000 Americans as of now, with the count going up every day. He never took the deadly virus seriously, describing it as a Democrat hoax and said on Feb. 27, 2020 at the White House that “It’s going to disappear. One day — it’s like a miracle — it will disappear.” Regrettably, many more will die before this pandemic is over. Trump has held large political rallies around the country and several events at the White House with most attendees not wearing masks and no social distancing. Many of them, Trump’s own voters, were infected and some died. Trump and his family were also infected, but he seems to have learned no lessons from his reckless behavior.

Trump has confessed that he is in love with dictators and against traditional U.S. allies. Trump told journalist Bob Woodward in a taped interview: “I get along very well with Erdogan, even though you’re not supposed to because everyone says, ‘what a horrible guy.’ But you know, for me it works out good. It’s funny, the relationships I have, the tougher and the meaner they are, the better I get along with them. You’ll explain that to me someday, okay? But maybe it’s not a bad thing. … The easy ones are the ones I maybe don’t like as much or don’t get along with so much.”

It is therefore not surprising that Pres. Trump has not lifted a finger to pressure his good friend Erdogan to stop arming and encouraging Azerbaijan in the attack on Artsakh. He is not even interested in telling Erdogan to stop flying terrorists from Northern Syria to Azerbaijan, because Trump does not have anything personal to gain from the Artsakh conflict. Meanwhile, young Armenian soldiers are dying every day. If Trump wanted to, he could have stopped the war with one phone call to Erdogan. But, as Trump confessed to Breitbart News Daily in 2015: “I have a little conflict of interest ’cause I have a major, major building in Istanbul. It’s a tremendously successful job. It’s called Trump Towers — two towers, instead of one, not the usual one, it’s two.”

On Oct. 18, after noticing a group of Armenian protesters in Orange County, California, at a rally in Reno, Nevada, later that day, Trump praised Armenians and said he liked their flag. Even though he made no reference to the Artsakh War, he said, “we are working on something.” Trump may be alluding to the Oct. 23 planned meeting in Washington, DC, of Secretary of State Mike Pompeo with the Foreign Ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan. As Trump often says, “let’s see what happens.”

Many books have been written in recent months by either Trump’s relatives or his White House staff, revealing his multiple flaws. Recently, former White House Chief of Staff retired General John Kelly said about Trump: “The depths of his dishonesty are just astounding to me. The dishonesty, the transactional nature of every relationship, though it’s more pathetic than anything else. He is the most flawed person I have ever met in my life.”

One of the amazing things about Trump supporters is their blind following of Trump as their cult leader, no matter how despicable his actions or statements are. How can evangelicals and other decent people ignore his immoral practices and his lies? He has had many illicit sexual affairs with prostitutes and paid them hush money. He has probably not entered a church in his life, yet he is worshipped like a God! This is very sad and regrettable.

Trump has also ruined the United States’ reputation around the world. According to a Pew poll, Russia’s Putin is more respected than Trump and he is just one point ahead of China’s Xi Jinping (29% to 28%) among world leaders. The Trump administration has also violated several international agreements signed by the United States.

To conclude, a vote for Biden is a vote to get rid of Trump. I am not naïve to believe campaign promises, but one thing is sure, Trump must go. So regardless of what Biden promises to do, he cannot be any worse than Trump for Armenian Americans, for Armenia, for the United States and the world. We have seen four years of Trump’s inept governance and that is long enough for me and many others. No wonder many analysts have said, “Trump is unfit to be President.” It is time for sanity to return to the White House! Imagine the damage Trump could do in a second term if uninhibited by concerns for reelection!

October 25, 2020
Azerbaijan Doesn’t Retrieve Its War Dead; Continues Shelling Civilians in Artsakh

Azerbaijan and Turkey kept insisting that they will not accept a ceasefire until the Armenian armed forces vacate Artsakh. In other words, they want to reoccupy Artsakh and eliminate the Armenian presence there.

Turkey, an outsider, kept pouring fuel on the fire by stressing that the war on Artsakh should not stop until Armenians return the land back to Azerbaijan. However, as the Azeri and Jihadist terrorists’ losses mounted, Pres. Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan started softening his stance by announcing last Friday that the “principles to settle the Nagorno Karabagh conflict, which had been put forward by the United States, Russia and France, should form the basis for a settlement.”

That same day, at the invitation of Pres. Vladimir Putin of Russia, the Foreign Ministers of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Russia met for over 10 hours in Moscow and agreed to a humanitarian ceasefire starting on Oct. 11, at 12 noon (local time), for the purposes of exchanging prisoners of war and retrieving the bodies of dead soldiers. Under Islamic law, a burial ceremony should be held within 24 hours of someone’s death.

However, not surprisingly, Aliyev and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had no intention of abiding by the ceasefire. Azerbaijan continued the shelling of civilian and military targets within few minutes of the start of the ceasefire. Aliyev showed no respect for the dead and their grieving families by refusing to make arrangements to pick up the bodies of killed Azeri soldiers. He also showed no respect for the strict Islamic burial time table as he is not a devout Muslim.

The real reason Aliyev pretended to accept the ceasefire was to use it as a cover to regroup its shattered armed forces and rush in new military hardware from Israel. Meanwhile, Turkey continued to recruit more terrorist mercenaries from Syria as they kept getting killed in the field of battle.

The blatant Azeri and Turkish violations of the ceasefire should finally wake up Pres. Putin from his slumber. The transfer of these mercenaries to Azerbaijan is not only against the interests of Armenia and Artsakh, but more importantly, against the national interests of Russia. If Putin does not care about the killings of Armenians, he should care about future acts of terrorism by the mercenaries who had been fighting in Syria against the Russian forces. Armenia and Artsakh are doing a big favor to Russia by eliminating hundreds of Islamist Jihadists that were a menace in Syria and potentially in Russia. These mercenaries could not fight well against Artsakh since they are not trained soldiers, but are capable of committing suicide bombings and blow up civilian targets in Russian cities.

Furthermore, Pres. Putin should feel embarrassed that a ceasefire he had arranged between Armenia and Azerbaijan is being disrespected by Aliyev and Erdogan. This may finally force Putin to take more decisive measures against both Azerbaijan and Turkey. Otherwise, Russia’s own prestige will go down the drain.

Russia also has to respect its commitment to the CSTO (Collective Security Treaty Organization) with Armenia. It has to defend Armenia’s borders since Azerbaijan has repeatedly shelled civilians inside Armenia.

Even more concerned with these Islamist terrorists is Iran which has been fighting them in Syria. To have thousands of terrorists on Iran’s border is a serious security risk. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has repeatedly warned Azerbaijan and Turkey about the transfer of these mercenaries to areas next to the Iranian border. Rouhani even spoke with Putin about this threat. If the danger persists, Iran may be forced to take military action against these foreign terrorists to defend its own borders.

One thing that remains puzzling is the polite and civilized reaction of the Armenian forces in the battle. Azerbaijan has kept shelling the civilian population of Stepanakert, Artsakh’s Capital, on a daily basis, causing dozens of deaths and injuries both before and after the ceasefire. However, it is not understandable why the Armenian forces refrain from shelling Azeri cities and villages in return. The only exception was the Armenian shelling of the airport of Ganja (Gantsak) in Azerbaijan where Azeri and Turkish air force jets are stationed.

Armenians have every right to respond to Azeri targets. This is war. When the enemy does not respect international law and commits war crimes repeatedly, Aliyev should understand that Armenians will hit back until he stops targeting Armenian civilians. Even the historic Cathedral of Ghazanchetsots in Shushi came under Azeri missile attack causing major damage to this house of worship. Unless such barbaric Azeri attacks cease, Armenia should hit back all Azeri targets, particularly Azerbaijan’s oil pipeline.

I was very pleased that on October 11, a massive protest was organized by the Armenian community of Los Angeles in front of the Turkish Consulate.

Erdogan, the delirious leader of Turkey, should be pressured to stop its continuation of the genocide against the Armenian people. Armenian communities around the world should organize similar demonstrations against Turkish Consulates and Embassies and demand that all governments pressure Turkey to stop its involvement in the war and the recruitment of terrorist mercenaries. The war has unified 10 million Armenians worldwide who are ready to support their homeland against the pan-Turkic onslaught which is far more sinister than the coronavirus pandemic. Everything must be done to foil Erdogan’s attempt to stick his nose in the Artsakh conflict. Contrary to the Turkish Foreign Ministry’s announcement, Turkey should have no involvement either at the war zone or at the negotiating table.

Just as importantly, protests must be held in front of Israeli Consulates and Embassies in various countries as Israel has sold and continuous to sell billions of dollars of lethal sophisticated drones and missiles to Azerbaijan, killing and maiming hundreds of innocent Armenian men, women and children. A statement circulated on Facebook appropriately describes this insane situation: “The grandchildren of genocide perpetrators are killing the grandchildren of genocide survivors with weapons provided by the grandchildren of Holocaust survivors!”

Last week, a group of prominent Israeli intellectuals issued a joint statement calling on Israel “to cease immediately the sales of arms to Azerbaijan… aimed mainly against a people that like the Jewish people suffered genocidal attacks in the twentieth century. We call upon other Israelis to raise their voice on this important issue.” I am pleased that among the signatories are Professors Yair Auron, Israel Charny and Michael Stone, who have always defended the truth of the Armenian Genocide and called for its recognition by the Israeli government.

Since the Russian government has failed to take decisive action against Azerbaijan and Turkey, I suggest that protests be organized in front of Russian Consulates and Embassies in various countries, particularly in Yerevan and Moscow to let Pres. Putin know that his inaction in this war is causing Armenians everywhere to lose their sympathy for Russia and its government.

Finally, the governments of Artsakh and Armenia have urged everyone in the world to recognize the independence of the Republic of Artsakh. This is a very sensitive subject with far reaching consequences. However, given these tragic circumstances, Armenians have no choice but to resort to such a measure, as a reaction to the Azeri and Turkish attempts to annihilate the Armenians of Artsakh. The recognition of Artsakh’s independence would be an adequate response to Azerbaijan’s and Turkey’s war crimes. However, the first step should be the recognition of the Artsakh Republic by the Armenian government. Otherwise, when Armenians approach foreign leaders, they will be told why should they be the first to recognize Artsakh, since Armenia itself has not!

October 15, 2020
Analysis of the Key ParticipantsIn the Artsakh War

At the time of writing this analysis, on Oct. 5, 2020, the war between Armenia and Artsakh on one side, and Azerbaijan, Turkey and Islamist mercenaries on the other, is continuing with countless deaths of soldiers and civilians, and widespread damage of cities and villages. This week, I will analyze the role of each of the key participants in the conflict:

AZERBAIJAN

Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev, refusing to accept Artsakh Armenians’ right to self-determination and following up on his numerous threats to solve the conflict militarily, launched a massive attack against Armenia and Artsakh on Sept. 27, 2020. Before the war, Azerbaijan secured the support of the Turkish armed forces and a large number of terrorists from Syria paid by the Turkish government.

The Presidents of Azerbaijan and Turkey have ignored all appeals for ceasefire, including a joint statement by France, Russia and the United States. Aliyev announced that there will be no ceasefire and no negotiations until Armenian forces leave Artsakh. Azerbaijan and Turkey not only want to occupy Artsakh, but unleash a second genocide on Armenians. This is an existential threat to the Armenian people. It is a war against all 10 million Armenians worldwide. Fortunately, Armenians have understood the serious danger to their existence and have joined hands to repulse the enemy. After the Azeri/Turkish attack fails, Armenia should refuse all proposals for negotiations and safeguard the land of Artsakh which has been liberated with the blood of our brave young men. Azerbaijan and Turkey have attacked not only Armenian military targets, but also civilians in major cities and villages. This is a war crime for which Azerbaijan and Turkey should be held responsible in front of the European Court of Human Rights and the International Court of Justice.

Armenia should also file a complaint with the United Nations since Azerbaijan is a signatory to the UN “International Convention Against the Recruitment, Use, Financing and Training of Mercenaries.” The Convention calls for punishment “by appropriate penalties which take into account the grave nature of those offenses.”

TURKEY

Turkey should have no role in the Artsakh conflict. Erdogan keeps talking about one nation, two states, referring to Azerbaijan and Turkey. Why does he then not accept the same concept for Armenia and Artsakh? He has no right to speak about Artsakh’s status, since Turkey itself occupied Northern Cyprus in 1974.

For far too long, Turkey has armed and trained terrorists in Syria, Iraq and Libya, and now in Azerbaijan. The international community is just as guilty as Turkey for not sanctioning it for its terroristic activities. Erdogan has learned that he will get away with murder and no country will say a word. It is time to muzzle Erdogan and check his expansionist desires.

Besides the physical war, there is also a war of propaganda and falsehoods being waged by Azerbaijan and Turkey. As usual, Turkey is lying about the most obvious facts. If it can deny the genocide of 1.5 million Armenians, it can also deny that it has military forces and advisors in Azerbaijan fighting against Armenia and Artsakh. Turkey also denies that it has recruited Islamist terrorists to fight in Artsakh.

TERRORIST MERCENARIES

Hundreds, if not thousands, of Islamist terrorists have been recruited by Turkey from Northern Syria to go to Azerbaijan to fight against Armenia and Artsakh. Many of their phone calls have been recorded in recent days stating that they were misled by Turkey into believing that they will only perform guard duties, not fight in a war. The terrorists stated that they want to leave, but are prevented from doing so. They have come to Azerbaijan after Turkey offered them a couple of thousand dollars a month. Despite the denials of Azerbaijan and Turkey, Armenia’s National Security Services have recorded the terrorists’ phone calls speaking in Arabic and Turkish and advising their fellow terrorists not to come to Azerbaijan.

RUSSIA

Russia is the only world power that can stop the fighting as it has done many times before. Either Russian President Vladimir Putin is unable to pressure Azerbaijan and Turkey to declare a ceasefire or unwilling to do so, until it can secure concessions from Armenia, Azerbaijan and Turkey for its own benefit.

The problem is that Armenia is a member of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) which has a mutual defense agreement with Russia and several other former Soviet states. So far Armenia has not applied to CSTO to come to its defense from Azerbaijan’s attacks on the Republic of Armenia, announcing that it can protect its own territory. Armenia should ask CSTO to secure its protection from attacks by Turkey and Azerbaijan. If Armenia applies and CSTO rejects to fulfill its treaty obligations, then we will know that CSTO is a paper tiger. There may be behind the scenes discussions between Armenia and CSTO to come to Armenia’s rescue at the appropriate time, before Armenia is in danger.

Supporting Armenia is also in Russia’s own interest. First of all, the Caucasus region is considered Russia’s sphere of influence which Turkey should not be allowed to encroach. Secondly, the Islamist terrorists that Turkey has sent to Azerbaijan could end up being a threat to Russia’s security. The sooner Russia pressures Azerbaijan and Turkey to send the terrorists back, the better for its own interests.

Armenia is also displeased that Russia sells sophisticated jets and missiles to Azerbaijan. This is an inappropriate conduct for a strategic ally of Armenia. It is understandable that Russia is making these military sales for its own economic benefit, but Armenians have to constantly remind Russia that it is undermining its own reputation in Armenia by supplying weapons to Armenia’s enemy.

IRAN

The Iranian government has always maintained a neutral position in the Armenia Azerbaijan conflict. In the current war, Iran was alarmed when Azeri missiles fell inside the Iranian territory killing a child. Iran also expressed its serious concern with Azerbaijan importing mercenary terrorists which could pose a danger to Iran’s security.

ISRAEL

It is shameful that the Israeli government continues to provide sophisticated drones and missiles to Azerbaijan in return for Azeri oil. Would Israel, if it existed during World War II, have sold weapons to Hitler in return for financial gains? No wonder Armenia last week recalled its newly-appointed Ambassador from Tel Aviv. American Armenians should impress upon American Jews and American Jewish organizations that Israel’s arming of Azerbaijan is morally repugnant and it will be held responsible for the deaths of Armenian civilians and soldiers. Even during the height of this war, scores of Azeri cargo planes have been seen in Israel loading advanced weapons for Azerbaijan!

FRANCE

France is the only country in the world that has told the truth about the conflict. French President Emmanuel Macron declared that Azerbaijan was the one that initiated the attack on Artsakh and also confirmed that Turkey has sent Islamist terrorists to Azerbaijan. It is not clear what France will do beyond mere words, nevertheless, Armenians worldwide appreciate the French position.

UNITED STATES

The United States, if it wanted to, could also pressure Turkey to stay out of the Armenian-Azeri conflict. Unfortunately, despite Pres. Trump’s statement that he will look into the conflict, nothing has been done. Trump’s close friendship with Erdogan does not give Armenians any comfort that the United States will play a moderating role in the conflict, particularly at a time when Trump is infected with the coronavirus.

The only positive action coming from the House of Representatives is its planned adoption of Resolution 1165 which condemns Azerbaijan for its attack on Artsakh and denounces Turkey for its participation in the war on the side of Azerbaijan. Going beyond condemnation, the United States should sanction Azerbaijan and Turkey, cut off all military and foreign aid to both countries, and designate them as terrorist states!

CONCLUSION

In conclusion, Armenia cannot rely on anyone but its own people to defend its homeland. It is very encouraging that Armenians worldwide have come to the support of Armenia and Artsakh donating funds and humanitarian supplies. All Armenians have to continue to counter Azeri and Turkish military and propaganda attacks. When Azerbaijan sees that its military has failed to yield any results, it will be forced to admit that Artsakh will never become a part of Azerbaijan. After these vicious Azeri and Turkish attacks, no Armenian will agree to have the Artsakh people live under the brutal rule of the corrupt dictator Aliyev.

October 6, 2020