Dr. Pietro Shakarian, lecturer in history at the American University of Armenia, published a new book called “Anastas Mikoyan: An Armenian Reformer in Khrushchev’s Kremlin.” During an interview with 168 Hours, he talked about his book as well as some geopolitical issues.
For decades, up until the usurpation of power in 2018, we all together in Armenia, Artsakh and in Spyurk were celebrating this day with the grandeur, a sense of joy and dignity. Artsakh’s independence day was the day of liberation of a part of our Fatherland which had been unjustly annexed to the Armenophobic Azerbaijan. Our heroic brothers and sisters gave their lives for this day, thousands of Armenians gave the best years of their lives to this cause.
Today, on the occasion of birth anniversary of the former president of the Republic of Artsakh Bako Sahakian, the second President of the Republic of Armenia, Chairman of the Republican Party of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan spoke on the phone with the members of his family, wished them patience and tenacity.
“Peaceful relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan are a good thing, the role of the USA here is problematic, because the US is not part of the South Caucasus region,” in the interview with 168 Hours said Professor Jeffrey Sachs, renowned economist, professor, and Director of the Center for Sustainable Development at Columbia University’s Earth Institute.
“In order also to reach out to peace, we have to make a distinction between freedom of expression deprivation in a national framework or in an international framework, a national framework, it depends, always by the government. So it’s a decision what kind of behaviors or statements are denied and what not. So what we can do in this case is to create dialog with institutions and also create dialog between international organizations and governments, or between governments.”
The 26th session of the judicial farce against Ruben Vardanyan will continue today at the Baku Military Court.
The cumulative procedural violations outlined above demonstrate unequivocally that Mr Ruben Vardanyan has not been afforded a fair opportunity to defend himself before a competent, independent, and impartial tribunal. He has been denied access to essential case materials, stripped of his fundamental procedural rights, and isolated from international observation and support.
Dr. Pietro Shakarian, a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Department of History at the National Research University – Higher School of Economics in St. Petersburg and a returning lecturer at the American University of Armenia, responded to Prime Minister Pashinyan’s statement that he sees “no problem” with Turkey potentially pursuing the idea of Greater Turan. Shakarian recalled key historical events, emphasizing that the concept behind the “Turan” project originates from the goal of permanently exterminating the Armenian people from their historical homeland.
Armenia deserves better. Its people deserve a leadership that understands the difference between reconciliation and capitulation. A future worthy of our history will not begin in Ankara. It will begin when we reclaim our voice, restore our dignity, and demand a just peace—one that honors sacrifice, upholds sovereignty, and reflects the true will of the Armenian nation.
Azerbaijan has recently moved to strike a peace deal with Armenia after violently recapturing the disputed territory of Nagorno-Karabakh in 2023. But continued fighting between the two countries might be more likely than peace, and other transnational threats continue to lurk beneath the surface. For one, Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev retains visions of territorial expansion through a creeping invasion of Armenia’s southern border. And the tentacles of Azerbaijan’s business dealings should raise alarms throughout the international financial system.
