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Round the clock protest ahead of possible Armenia-Turkey breakthrough
While most were enjoying a sunny afternoon in the Armenian capital, a few dozen members of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation – Dashnaktsutyun (ARF-D) continued their round the clock hunger strike outside the main government building and the adjacent Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The nationalist party is staging the action to protest what many consider to be the likely signing of two protocols establishing diplomatic relations and opening up the country’s border closed by Turkey in 1993 as Armenia and Azerbaijan waged war over the disputed territory of Nagorno Karabakh. Armenian forces currently control about 14 percent of Azerbaijan.
Armenian Political Groups Fume, But Little Visible Opposition to Turkey Protocols
As the international community applauds the presidents of Armenia and Turkey for making unprecedented progress in attempts to normalize relations, others are not so ecstatic. Indeed, while many consider the establishment of diplomatic relations and the opening of borders between the two estranged neighbours as crucial in establishing peace and stability in the region, opposition to such a development was always going to materialize from some political forces within Armenia as well as its other foe, Turkish ally Azerbaijan.
Armenia and Turkey Set To Establish Diplomatic Relations
Following media reports earlier today that Armenian President Serge Sargsyan had “chided Turkey” for not seriously seeking to unconditionally open the border between the two countries comes unexpected news. Within the last few hours at time of writing, reports from the BBC, Reuters, AP and others now say that “domestic discussion” in the estranged neighbouring countries over two diplomatic protocols is set to start and will take up to six weeks.
Georgi Vanyan: Every family has the desire for peace
Fifteen years after the 1994 ceasefire put the conflict over the disputed territory of Nagorno Karabakh on hold, reports that the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan might be moving closer to a final peace settlement have caught many unaware. The last time international mediators were as optimistic about the prospects for peace was in 2001 at Key West, Florida. However, no agreement materialized.
Armenian Youth Rally For Detained Activist
While the international community continues to follow the case of two detained video bloggers and youth activists in Azerbaijan, the plight of another taken into police custody several days earlier in neighbouring Armenia remains unnoticed. Despite his diminutive size, Tigran Arakelian is accused of assaulting three policemen at the beginning of July and, like Adnan Hajizade and Emin Milli, is currently in two-months pre-trial detention on charges of “hooliganism.”
Nagorno Karabakh: Tragedy in the South Caucasus
The last time I visited Nagorno Karabakh was in 2006. Well, the intention had not been to visit Karabakh itself, but rather the strategic town of Lachin situated within what the international community considers sovereign Azerbaijani territory under Armenian control. However, despite years of working on a long-term photographic project in the town, I was instead detained by the local National Security Service (NSS) and my travel plans altered in unexpected ways.
Paper Ballot Boxes, Minor Clashes, And Another Assault… Yes, Election Time In Yerevan
No sooner does the ruling Republican Party of Armenia inform journalists that there is no mutual hatred or enmity between political forces contesting the crucial municipal election to determine Yerevan’s mayor on 31 May comes news of some minor clashes between opposition supporters and the police. Oh, and did I mention an albeit aborted violent assault on a television journalist?
Nationalist Party quits government, prepares for local election
Nothing is ever simple in the South Caucasus, and no sooner had world leaders hailed a ground-breaking announcement from Armenia and Turkey that might set the scene for the normalization of relations between the two estranged neighbors, than nationalists throughout the region became agitated. Here in Yerevan, the Armenian Revolutionary Federation — Dashanktsutyun, for example, announced that it would leave the coalition government it has been supportive of for over a decade.
Obama Talks Turkey (Updated)
Tsitsernakaberd, Yerevan, Armenia © Onnik James Krikorian 2008 History has the unfortunate habit of repeating itself as Armenians know only too well. This is especially true when it comes to U.S. presidential elections. Without fail, candidates running for the White House promise to recognize the WWI massacre and deportation of as many as 1.5 million Armenians living in the then Ottoman Empire as genocide only to have them renege on such campaign promises when in office. This time round,...